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ij3%: 


/■-:J"" -B^^^^ 


i:uijK.si'ip:i!i:E. 
Frnin  a  drawing  attributed  to  Reranl. 


THE 


FRENCH  REVOLUTION 


OF    17  8  9 


AS  VIEWED  IN  THE  LIGHT  OF   REPUBLICAN  INSTITUTIONS. 


BY 

JOHN    S.   C.   ABBOTT. 
Mitb  IRumei'ous  Engravings. 

I2i  TWO    VOLUMES 
Volume  II. 


NEW  YORK  : 
HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN  SQUARE. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred 

and  fifty-nine,  by 

HARPER     &     BROTHERS, 

in  the  Clerk's  OflBce  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District  of  New  York- 


Copyright,  1887,  by  Susan  Abboii  Mead. 


THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION. 


VOL.  II. 


THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION. 

VOLUME   II. 
CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE  ROYAL  FAMILY  IMPRISONED. 

Tnmult  and  Dismay  in  the  Assembl)'.— Storming  the  Tuileries.— Aspect  of  the  Royal  Family.— 
The  Decree  of  Suspension.— Night  in  the  Cloister.— The  Royal  Family  Prisoners. —The  Temple. 
—The  Royal  Family  transferred  to  the  Temple. 

But  few  of  the  excited  thousands  who  crowded  all  the  approaches  to  the 
Tuileries  were  conscious  that  the  royal  family  had  escaped  from  the  palace. 
The  clamor  rapidly  increased  to  a  scene  of  terrific  uproar.  First  a  few  gun- 
shots were  heard,  then  volleys  of  musketry,  then  the  deep  booming  of 
artillery,  while  shouts  of  onset,  cries  of  fury,  and  the  shrieks  of  the  wound- 
ed and  the  dying  filled  the  air.  The  hall  of  the  Assembly  was  already 
crowded  to  suffocation,  and  the  deputies  stood  powerless  and  appalled.  A 
tumultuous  mass  pressed  the  door.  Several  bullets  shattered  the  windows, 
and  one  or  two  cannon-balls  passed  through  the  roof  of  the  building. 
Every  one  was  exposed  to  fearful  peril. 

There  was  no  longer  any  retreat  for  the  king.  By  the  side  of  the  presi- 
dent's chair  there  was  a  space  inclosed  by  an  iron  railing,  appropriated  to 
the  reporters.  Several  of  the  members  aided  the  king  in  tearing  down  a 
portion  of  this  railing,  and  all  the  royal  family  sought  refuge  there.  At 
this  moment  the  door  of  the  hall  was  attacked,  and  tremendous  blows 
seemed  to  shake  the  whole  building.  "We  are  stormed!"  shouted  one  of 
the  deputies.  There  was,  however,  no  escape  for  any  one  in  any  direction, 
and  for  some  moments  there  was  witnessed  a  scene  of  confusion  and  terror 
which  no  language  can  describe. 

At  the  same  time  there  was  a  frightful  conflict  raging  in  and  around  the 
palace.  Immediately  upon  the  departure  of  the  king,  all  the  Swiss  troops, 
who  were  hated  as  foreign  mercenaries  hired  to  shoot  down  the  French, 
were  drawn  into  the  palace  from  the  court-yard,  and  were  mingled  in  confu- 
sion through  its  apartments  with  the  loyalist  gentlemen,  the  officers,  and  the 
domestics.  Notwithstanding  the  vast  dimensions  of  the  palace,  it  was  so 
crowded  that  there  was  scarcely  space  to  move.  ' 

The  throng  in  the  Carrousel  attacked  one  of  the  gates,  broke  it  down, 
and  rushed  into  the  royal  court,  which  was  nearly  vacated  by  the  retire- 
ment of  the  Swiss.  The  companies  of  the  National  Guard  in  the  Carrousel, 
instead  of  opposing,  looked  approvingly  on,  and  were  evidently  quite  dis' 
posed  to  lend  the  assailants  a  helping  hand.  A  large  piece  of  timber  wag 
placed  at  the  foot  of  the  staiicase  of  the  palace  in  the  ibrm  of  a  barrier,  and 


TALLEYEAND. 


1792.] 


THE  ROYAL  FAMILY  IMPRISONED. 


2S7 


STORMING   TnE  TCTLERIER,   AtTGrRT  10,  1792, 

behind  this  were  intrenched  in  disorder,  crowding  the  steps,  the  Swiss  and 
Bome  of  the  National  Guard  who  adhered  to  the  king.* 

*  "Napoleon  se  trouvait  au  lOieme  Aoat  a  Paris;  il  avail  e'te  present  a  Taction.  II  m'ecrevit 
line  lettre  tres  detaille'e,  que  je  lus  a  mcs  collegues  du  dircctoire  du  de'partement ;  voici  Ics  deux 
traits  principaux.  '  Si  Louis  XVI.  se  fut  niontre  a  cheval  la  victoire  lui  fat  restec;  e'est  ce  qui 
ni'a  paru,  a  I'esprit  qui  animait  les  proupes  le  matin. 

"  '  Apres  la  victoire  dcs  Marseillais,  j'en  vis  un  sur  le  point  de  tuer  un  garde  du  corps ;  je  lui  dis, 

"  'Homme  du  midi,  sauvons  ce  malheureux ! 

"  'Es  tu  du  midi? 

«"Oui! 

"  '  Eh,  bien  !  sauvons  le  !'  " — M^moires  du  Rot  Joseph,  t.  i.,  p.  47. 


288 


THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION. 


[Chap.  XXYIII. 


Just  then  the  whole  Faubourg  St.  Antoine  came  marching  along  in  solid 
column.  They  marched  through  the  Carrousel,  entered  the  court,  and 
placed  six  pieces  of  cannon  in  battery  to  open  a  fire  upon  the  palace.  It 
was  to  avoid,  if  possible,  a  conflict,  that  the  guards  had  been  withdrawn 
from  the  court  into  the  palace.  The  shouts  of  a  countless  multitude  ap- 
plauded this  military  movement  of  the  mob.  The  Swiss  had  received  com- 
mand from  the  king  not  to  fire.  The  crowd  cautiously  pressed  nearer  and 
nearer  to  the  door,  and  at  length,  emboldened  by  the  forbearance  of  the 
defenders  of  the  palace,  seized,  with  long  poles  to  which  hooks  were  at- 
tached, one  after  another  of  the  sentinels,  and,  with  shouts,  captured  and 
disarmed  them.     Thus  five  of  the  Swiss  troops  were  taken  prisoners. 

At  last  a  single  shot  was  fired,  no  one  can  tell  on  which  side.  It  was  the 
signal  for  blood.     The  Swiss,  crowded  upon  the  magnificent  marble  stairs, 


UASSAOBB  OF  THE  BOTAL  aUABD,  AUOUBT  10,  1792. 


j^g2  ]  THE  ROYAL  FAMILY  IMPRISONED.  289 

rising  one  above  another,  occupied  a  very  formidable  position.  They  in- 
Lntfy  opened  a  deadly  fire.  Volley  sueceeded  volley,  and  every  bullet 
Sd  vfpon^he  dense  mass  crowding  the  eourt.  At  the  same  moment,  from 
Tvery  window  of  the  palaefr  a  storm  of  shot  was  showered  down  upon  he 
foe  In  a  moment  the  pavement  was  red  with  blood,  and  covered  w.th  he 
dying  and  the  dead.  The  artillerymen  abandoned  their  pieces  and  the 
whole  multitude  rushed  pell-mell,  trampling  the  dead  and  wounded  beneath 
them  in  frantic  endeavors  to  escape  from  the  court  into  the  Carrousel.  n 
a  few  moments  the  whole  court  was  evacuated,  and  remained  strewed  with 
pikes,  muskets,  grenadiers'  caps,  and  gory  bodies  ,..,..,  _,,, 

The  besiegers,  however,  soon  rallied.     Following  the  disciplined  troops 
from  Marseilles,  who  were  led  by  able  officers,  the  multitude  returned  with 
indescribable   fury   to   the   charge.     Cannon-balls    bullets,  and   grapeshot 
dashed  m  the  doors  and  the  windows.     Most  of  the  loyalist  gentlemen 
escaped  by  a  secret  passage  through  the  long  gallery  of  the  Louvre,  as  he 
victorious  rabble,  with  pike,  bayonet,  and  sabre,  poured  resistlessly  into  the 
palace  and  rushed  through  all  its  apartments.    The  Swiss  threw  down  their 
arms  and  begged  for  quarter.     But  the  pitiless  mob,  exasperated  by  the 
slaughter  of  their  friends,  knew  no  mercy.    Indiscriminate  massacre  ensued, 
accompanied  with  every  conceivable  act  of  brutality.     For  four  hours  the 
butchery  continued,  as  attics,  closets,  cellars,  chimneys,  and  vaults  were 
searched,  and  the  terrified  victims  were  dragged  out  to  die      Some  leaped 
from  the  windows  and  endeavored  to  escape  through  the  Garden,     ihey 
were  pursued  and  mercilessly  cut  down.     Some  climbed  the  marble  nionu- 
ments.     The  assassins,  unwilling  to  injure  the  statuary,  pricked  them  down 
with  their  bayonets  and  then  slaughtered  them  at  their  feet.     Seven  hund- 
red and  fifty  Swiss  were  massacred  in  that  day  of  blood. 

The  Assembly  during  these  hours  were  powerless,  and  they  awaited  m 
intense  anxiety  the  issue  of  the  combat.  Nothing  can  more  impressively 
show  the  weak  and  frivolous  mind  of  the  king  than  that,  m  such  an  hour, 
seeing  the  painter  David  in  the  hall,  he  inquired  of  him, 

"  How  soon  shall  you  probably  have  my  portrait  completed  / 
David  brutally  replied,  "  I  will  never,  for  the  future,  pamt  the  portrait  of 
a  tyrant  until  his  head  lies  before  me  on  the  scaffold."* 

The  queen  sat  in  haughty  silence.  Her  compressed  lip,  burning  eye,  and 
hectic  cheek  indicated  the  emotions  of  humiliation  and  of  indignation  with 
which  she  was  consumed.  The  young  princess  wept,  and  her  fevered  face 
was  stained  with  the  dried  current  of  her  tears.  The  dauphin,  too  young  to 
appreciate  the  terrible  significance  of  the  scene,  looked  around  m  bewildered 

'''' AteTeven  o'clock  reiterated  shouts  of  victory,  which  rose  from  the  Gar- 
den the  palace  the  Carrousel,  and  all  the  adjoining  streets  and  places,  pro- 
claimed that  the  triumph  of  the  people  was  complete.  The  Assembly,  now 
overawed,  unanimously  passed  a  decree  suspending  the  king,  dismissmg  the 
Royalist  ministers,  recalling  the  Girondist  ministry,  and  convoking  a  Na- 
tional Assembly  for  the  trial  of  the  king.  As  Vergniaud  read,  in  accents  of 
grief,  this  decree  to  which  the  Assembly  had  been  forced,  the  king  listened 

*  History  of  the  Girondists,  by  Lamartinc,  vol.  ii.,  p.  77. 
T 


290  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChaP.  XXVIIL 

intently,  and  then  said  satirically  to  M.  Coustard,  who  was  standing  by  his 
side, 

"  This  is  not  a  very  constitutional  act." 

"True,"  M.  Coustard  replied;  "but  it  is  the  only  means  of  saving  your 
majesty's  life." 

The  Assembly  immediately  enacted  the  decrees,  which  the  king  had  ve- 
toed, banishing  the  refractory  priests  and  establishing  a  camp  near  Paris. 
Danton,*  whose  tremendous  energies  had  guided  the  insurrection,  was  ap- 
pointed Minister  of  Justice.  Monge,  the  illustrious  mathematician,  by  the 
nomination  of  his  equally  illustrious  friend  Condorcet,  was  placed  at  the 
head  of  the  Marine.  Lebrun,  a  man  of  probity  and  untiring  energy,  was 
appointed  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs. 

Thus  was  the  whole  government  effectually  revolutionized  and  reorgan- 
ized. During  all  the  long  hours  of  this  day  the  royal  family  sat  in  the 
crowded  Assembly  almost  suffocated  with  heat,  and  enduring  anguish  which 
no  tongue  can  tell.  The  streets  were  filled  with  uproar,  and  the  waves  of 
popular  tumult  dashed  against  the  old  monastery  of  the  Feuillans,  even 
threatening  to  break  in  the  doors.  The  regal  victims  listened  to  the  decrees 
which  tore  the  crown  from  the  brow  of  the  king,  and  which  placed  his 
sceptre  in  the  hands  of  his  most  envenomed  foes.  In  the  -conflict  with  the 
defenders  of  the  palace,  between  three  and  four  thousand  of  the  populace 
had  perished,  in  revenge  for  which  nearly  eight  hundred  of  the  inmates  of 
the  Tuileries  had  been  massacred.  The  relatives  of  the  slain  citizens,  ex- 
asperated beyond  measure,  were  clamorous  for  the  blood  of  the  king  as  the 
cause  of  the  death  of  their  friends.  There  was  no  possible  covert  for  the  royal 
family  but  in  the  Assembly.  Fifty  armed  soldiers,  with  bayonets  fixed,  sur- 
rounded them  in  their  box,  and  yet  it  was  every  moment  feared  that  the 
populace  would  break  in  and  satiate  their  rage  with  the  blood  of  the  monarch 
and  his  family. 

The  king  was  ever  famed  for  his  ravenous  appetite.  Even  in  the  midst 
of  these  terrific  scenes  he  was  hmigry  and  called  for  food.  Bread,  wine,  and 
cold  viands  were  brought  to  him.  He  ate  and  drank  voraciously  to  the  ex- 
treme mortification  of  the  queen,  who  could  not  but  perceive  how  little  re- 
spect the  conduct  of  the  king  inspired.  Neither  she,  Madame  Elizabeth,  nor 
the  children  could  taste  of  any  food.  They  merely  occasionally  moistened 
their  fevered  lips  with  iced  water. 

It  was  now  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening.  The  night  was  calm  and  beauti- 
ful. The  tumult  of  the  day  was  over,  but  the  terrific  excitement  of  the  scene 
had  brought  the  whole  population  of  Paris  out  into  the  promenades.     Fires 

*  Danton  was  one  of  the  fiercest  of  the  Jacobins.  Madame  Roland,  a  political  opponent,  thus 
describes  him:  "I  never  saw  any  countenance  that  so  strongly  expressed  the  violence  of  brutal 
passions,  and  the  most  astonishing  audacity,  half  disguised  by  a  jovial  air,  an  affectation  of  frank- 
ness, and  a  sort  of  simplicity,  as  Danton's.  In  1778  he  was  a  needy  lawyer,  more  burdened  with 
debts  than  causes.  He  went  to  Belgium  to  augment  his  resources,  and,  after  the  10th  of  August, 
had  the  hardihood  to  avow  a  fortune  of  £ir)8,333  ($791,665),  and  to  wallow  in  luxury  while 
preaching  sans  culottism  and  sleeping  on  heaps  of  slaughtered  men."  "Danton,"  says  Mignet, 
"was  a  gigantic  revolutionist.  He  deemed  no  means  censurable  so  they  were  useful.  He  has 
been  termed  the  Mirabeau  of  the  populace.  Mirabeau's  vices  were  those  of  a  patrician.  Dan- 
ton's  those  of  a  democrat.  He  was  an  absolute  exterminator  without  being  personally  ferocious ; 
inexorable  toward  masses,  humane,  generous  even,  toward  individuals." — Mifjnet,  p.  158. 


1792.]  THE  ROYAL  FAMILY  IMPRISONED.  291 

were  still  blazing  beneath  the  trees  of  the  Tuileries,  consuming  the  furniture 
which  had  been  thrown  from  the  windows  of  the  chateau.  Lurid  flames 
flashed  from  the  barracks  of  the  Swiss  in  the  court-yard,  which  had  been  set 
on  fire,  streaming  over  the  roof  of  the  palace,  and  illuminated  both  banks 
of  the  Seine. 

The  whole  number  slain  during  the  day.  Royalists  and  Revolutionists, 
amounted  to  over  four  thousand.  Many  of  the  dead  had  been  removed  by 
relatives,  but  the  ground  was  still  covered  with  the  bodies  of  the  slain,  who 
were  entirely  naked,  having  been  stripped  of  their  clothing  by  those  wretches 
who  ever  swarm  in  the  streets  of  a  great  city,  and  who  find  their  carnival 
in  deeds  of  violence  and  blood.  By  order  of  the  insurrectional  committee  at 
the  Hotel  de  Ville,  who  had  deposed  the  municipal  government  and  usurped 
its  authority,  these  dead  bodies  were  collected  and  piled  in  vast  heaps  in  the 
court-yards,  in  the  Garden,  in  the  Place  Louis  XV.,  and  in  the  Elysian  Fields. 
Immense  quantities  of  wood  were  thrown  upon  them,  and  the  whole  city  was 
illuminated  by  the  glare  of  these  funeral  fires.  The  Swiss  and  the  Marsel- 
lais,  the  Royalists  and  the  Jacobins,  were  consumed  together,  and  the  ashes 
were  swept  clean  from  the  pavement  into  the  Seine. 

As  these  scenes  at  midnight  were  transpiring  in  the  streets,  the  Assembly 
sent  a  summary  of  its  decrees  to  be  read  by  torchlight  to  the  groups  of  the 
people.  It  was  hoped  that  these  decrees  would  satisfy  them,  and  put  a  stop 
to  any  farther  acts  of  violence  on  the  morrow.  It  was  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning  before  the  Assembly  suspended  its  sitting.  For  seventeen  lioure 
the  royal  family  had  sat  in  the  reporters'  box,  enduring  all  of  humiliation 
and  agony  which  human  hearts  can  feel. 

In  the  upper  part  of  the  old  monastery,  above  the  committee-rooms  of 
the  Assembly,  there  was  a  spacious  corridor,  from  which  opened  several 
cells  formerly  iised  by  the  monks.  These  cells,  with  walls  of  stone  and 
floors  of  brick,  and  entirely  destitute  of  furniture,  were  as  gloomy  as  the 
dungeons  of  a  prison.  Here  only  could  the  king  and  his  family  find  safety 
for  the  night.  Some  articles  of  furniture  were  hastily  collected  from  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  building,  and  four  of  these  rooms  were  prepared  for  the 
royal  party.  Five  nobles,  who  had  heroically  adhered  to  the  king  in  these 
hours  of  }3eril,  occupied  one,  where,  wrapped  in  their  cloaks  and  stretched 
out  upon  the  floor,  they  could  still  watch  through  the  night  over  the  mon- 
arch. The  king  took  the  next.  It  was  furnished  with  a  table,  and  a  plain 
wooden  bedstead.  He  bound  a  napkin  around  his  head  for  a  night-cap, 
and  threw  himself,  but  partially  undressed,  upon  his  uncurtained  bed.  The 
queen,  with  her  two  children,  took  the  next  cell,  Madame  Elizabeth,  with 
the  governess  of  the  children,  Madame  de  Tourzel,  and  the  Princess  Lam- 
balle,  who  had  joined  the  royal  flimily  in  the  evening,  took  the  fourth. 
Thus,  after  thirty-six  hours  of  sleeplessness  and  terror,  the  royal  family 
were  left  to  such  repose  as  their  agitated  minds  could  attain. 

The  sun  had  long  arisen  when  the  queen  awoke  from  her  fevered  slum- 
ber. She  looked  around  her  for  a  moment  with  an  expression  of  anguish, 
and  then,  covering  her  eyes  with  her  hands,  exclaimed, 

"  Oh,  I  hoped  that  it  had  all  been  a  dream  !" 

The  whole  party  soon  met  in  the  apartment  of  the  king.     As  Madame 


292  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [Chap.  XXVIIL 

Tourzel  led  in  the  two  rojal  children,  Marie  Antoinette  looked  at  them 
sadly,  and  said, 

"  Poor  children !  how  heart-rending  it  is,  instead  of  handing  down  to 
them  so  fine  an  inheritance,  to  say,  it  ends  with  us !" 

"  I  still  see,  in  imagination,"  writes  Madame  Campan,  "  and  shall  always 
see,  that  narrow  cell  of  the  Feuillans,  hung  with  green  paper ;  that  wretch- 
ed couch  where  the  dethroned  queen  stretched  out  her  arms  to  us,  saying 
that  our  misfortunes,  of  which  she  was  the  cause,  aggravated  her  own. 
There,  for  the  last  time,  I  saw  the  tears,  I  heard  the  sobs  of  her  whom  her 
high  birth,  the  endowments  of  nature,  and,  above  all,  the  goodness  of  her 
heart,  had  seemed  to  destine  for  the  ornament  of  a  throne  and  for  the  hap- 
piness of  her  people." 

The  tumult  of  the  streets  still  penetrated  their  cells,  and  warned  them 
that  they  had  entered  upon  another  day  of  peril.  The  excited  populace 
were  still  hunting  out  the  aristocrats,  and  killing  them  pitilessly  wherever 
they  could  be  found.  At  ten  o'clock  the  royal  family  were  conducted  again 
to  the  Assembly,  probably  as  the  safest  place  they  could  occupy,  and  there 
they  remained  all  day.  Several  of  the  Swiss  had  been  taken  prisoners  on 
the  previous  day,  and  by  humane  people  had  been  taken  to  the  Assembly 
that  their  lives  might  be  saved.  The  mob  now  clamored  loudly  at  the  door 
of  the  hall,  and  endeavored  to  break  in,  demanding  the  lives  of  the  Swiss 
and  of  the  escort  of  the  king,  calling  them  murderers  of  the  people.  Yerg- 
niaud,  the  president,  was  so  shocked  by  their  ferocity  that  he  exclaimed, 
"  Great  God,  what  cannibals !" 

At  one  time  the  doors  were  so  nearly  forced  that  the  royal  family  were 
hurried  into  one  of  the  passages,  to  conceal  them  from  the  mob.  The  king, 
fully  convinced  that  the  hour  of  his  death  had  now  come,  entreated  his 
friends  to  provide  for  their  safety  by  flight.  Heroically,  every  one  persisted 
in  sharing  the  fate  of  the  king.  Danton  hastened  to  the  Assembly,  and  ex- 
erted all  his  rough  and  rude  energy  to  appease  the  mob.  They  were  at 
length  pacified  by  the  assurance  that  the  Swiss,  and  all  others  who  had 
abetted  in  the  slaughter  of  the  jieople  on  the  preceding  day,  should  be  tried 
by  a  court-martial  and  punished.  With  great  difiiculty  the  Assembly  suc- 
ceeded in  removing  the  Swiss  and  the  escort  of  the  king  to  the  prison  of 
the  Abbaye. 

At  the  close  of  this  day  the  king  and  his  family  were  again  conducted  to 
their  cells,  but  they  were  placed  under  a  strict  guard,  and  their  personal 
friends  were  no  longer  permitted  to  accompany  them.  This  last  deprivation 
was  a  severe  blow  to  them  all,  and  the  king  said  bitterly, 

"  I  am,  then,  a  prisoner,  gentlemen.  Charles  I.  was  more  fortunate  than 
myself.     His  friends  were  permitted  to  accompany  him  to  the  scaffold." 

Another  morning  dawned  upon  this  unhappy  family,  and  again  they  were 
led  to  the  hall  of  the  Assembly,  where  they  passed  the  weary  hours  of  an- 
other day  in  the  endurance  of  all  the  pangs  of  martyrdom. 

It  was  at  length  decided  that  the  royal  family,  for  safe  keeping,  should  be 
imprisoned  in  the  tower  of  the  Temple.  This  massive,  sombre  building,  in 
whose  gloomy  architecture  were  united  the  palace,  the  cloister,  the  fortress, 
and  the  prison,  was  erected  and  inhabited  by  the  Knights  Templar  of  the 


1792.] 


THE  KOYAL  FAMILY  IMPRISONED. 


293 


Middle  Ages.  Having  been  long  abandoned  it  was  now  cnimbling  to  decay. 
It  was  an  enormous  pile  wliich  centuries  had  reared  near  the  site  of  the 
Bastille,  and  with  its  palace,  donjon,  towers,  and  garden,  which  was  choked 
with  weeds  and  the  debris  of  crumbling  walls,  covered  a  space  of  many  acres. 


THE  TEMPIiE. 


The  main  tower  was  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high,  nine  feet  thick  at 
the  base,  surrounded  by  a  wide,  deep  ditch,  and  inclosed  by  an  immensely 
high  wall.  This  tower  was  ascended  by  a  very  narrow  flight  of  circular 
stairs,  and  was  divided  into  four  stories,  each  containing  a  bare,  dismal  room 
about  thirty  feet  square.  The  iron  doors  to  these  rooms  were  so  low  and 
narrow  that  it  was  necessary  to  stoop  almost  double  to  enter  them.  The 
windows,  which  were  but  slits  in  the  thick  wall,  were  darkened  by  slanting 
screens  placed  over  them,  and  were  also  secured  by  stout  iron  bars. 

Such  were  the  apartments  which  were  now  assigned  to  the  former  occu- 
pants of  the  Tuileries,  Versailles,  and  Fontainebleau.  It  was  a  weary  ride 
for  the  royal  captives  through  the  Place  Vendome  and  along  the  Boulevards 
to  the  Temple.  An  immense  crowd  lined  the  road.  All  the  royal  family, 
with  Potion,  the  mayor,  occupied  one  carriage,  and  the  procession  moved  so 
slowly  that  for  two  hours  the  victims  were  exposed  to  the  gaze  of  the  popu- 
lace before  the  carriages  rolled  under  the  arches  of  the  Temple.    It  was  late 


294  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChaP.  XXVIII. 

in  the  afternoon  when  they  left  the  Assembly,  and  the  shades  of  night  dark- 
ened the  streets  ere  they  reached  the  Temple. 

The  Assembly  had  surrendered  the  safe-keeping  of  the  king  to  the  Com- 
mune of  Paris,  and  appropriated  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  meet  the 
expenses  of  the  royal  family  until  the  king  should  be  brought  to  trial.  Con- 
scious that  an  army  of  nearly  two  hundred  thousand  men  was  within  a  few 
days'  march  of  Paris,  hastening  to  rescue  the  king,  and  that  there  were  thou- 
sands of  Eoyalists  in  the  city,  and  tens  of  thousands  in  France,  who  were 
ready  at  any  moment  to  lay  down  their  lives  to  secure  the  escape  of  the 
monarch,  and  conscious  that  the  escape  of  the  king  would  not  only  re-en- 
slave France,  but  consign  every  friend  of  the  Ee volution  to  the  dungeon  or 
the  scaffold,  they  found  it  necessary  to  adopt  the  most  effectual  measures  to 
hold  the  king  securely.  They,  therefore,  would  no  longer  allow  the  friends 
of  the  king  to  hold  free  communication  with  him. 

The  Temple  itself,  by  outworks,  had  been  promptly  converted  into  a  for- 
tress, and  was  strongly  garrisoned  by  the  National  Guard.  Twelve  com- 
missioners were  without  interruption  to  keep  watch  of  the  king's  person. 
No  one  was  allowed  to  enter  the  tower  of  the  Temple  without  permission 
of  the  municipality.  Four  hundred  dollars  were  placed  in  the  hands  of  the 
royal  family  for  their  petty  expenses.  They  were  not  intrusted  with  more, 
lest  it  might  aid  them  to  escape.  A  single  attendant,  the  king's  faithful 
valet  Clery,*  was  permitted  to  accompany  the  captives.  It  does  not  appear 
that  the  authorities  wished  to  add  unnecessary  rigor  to  the  imprisonment. 
Thirteen  cooks  were  provided  for  the  kitchen,  that  their  table  might  be 
abundantly  supplied.  One  of  these  only  was  allowed  to  enter  the  prison 
and  aid  Clery  in  serving  at  the  table,  the  expenses  of  which  for  two  months 
amounted  to  nearly  six  thousand  dollars,  f 

It  was  an  hour  after  midnight  when  the  royal  family  were  led  from  the 
apartments  of  the  Temple  to  which  they  had  first  been  conducted  to  their 
prison  in  the  tower.  The  night  was  intensely  dark.  Dragoons  with  drawn 
sabres  marched  by  the  side  of  the  king,  while  municipal  officers  with  lanterns 
guided  their  steps.  Through  gloomy  and  dilapidated  halls,  beneath  massive 
turrets,  and  along  the  abandoned  paths  of  the  garden,  encumbered  with 
weeds  and  stones,  they  groped  their  way  until  they  arrived  at  the  portals  of 
the  tower,  whose  summit  was  lost  in  the  obscurity  of  night.  As  in  perfect 
silence  the  sad  procession  was  passing  through  the  garden,  a  valet-de-cham- 
bre  of  the  king  inquired  in  a  low  tone  of  voice  whither  the  king  was  to  be 
conducted. 

"Thy  master,"  was  the  reply,  "has  been  used  to  gilded  roofs.  Now  he 
will  see  how  the  assassins  of  the  people  are  lodged." 

The  three  lower  rooms  of  the  tower  were  assigned  to  the  captives.  They 
had  been  accompanied  by  several  of  their  friends  who  adhered  to  them  in 
these  hours  of  adversity.     All  were  oppressed  with  gloom,  and  many  shed 

*  "Clery  we  have  seen  and  knowii,  and  the  foiin  and  manncre  of  that  model  of  pristine  faith 
and  loyalty  can  never  be  forf^otten.  Gentlemanlike  and  complaisant  in  his  manners,  his  deep 
gravity  and  melancholy  features  announced  that  the  sad  scenes  in  which  he  had  acted  a  part  so 
honorable  were  never  for  a  n)onicut  out  of  his  memory." — Scott's  Life  0/ Napoleon. 

+  Thiers's  Hkt.  French  llcvolutiou,  vol.  ii.,  p.  26. 


1792.]  THE  MASSACRE  OF  THE  ROYALISTS.  295 

bitter  tear.«?.  Still  they  were  not  in  despair.  Powerful  armies  were  march- 
ing for  their  rescue,  and  they  thought  it  not  possible  that  the  French  people, 
all  unprepared  for  war,  could  resist  such  formidable  assailants.  A  week  thus 
passed  away,  when  on  the  19th  the  municipal  officers  entered  and  ordered 
the  immediate  expulsion  of  all  not  of  the  royal  family.  This  harsh  measure 
was  deemed  necessary  in  consequence  of  the  conspiracies  which  were  formed 
by  the  Royalists  for  the  rescue  of  the  king.  Unfeeling  jailers  were  now 
placed  over  them,  and,  totally  uninformed  of  all  that  was  passing  in  the  world 
without,  they  sank  into  the  extreme  of  woe. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE   MASSACRE  OF  THE  ROYALISTS. 


Supremacy  of  the  Jacobins. — Their  energetic  Measures. — The  Assembly  threatened. — Commis- 
sioners sent  to  the  Army. — Spirit  of  the  Court  Party  in  England.^Speech  of  Edmund  Burke. 
— Triumphant  March  of  the  Allies. — The  Nation  summoned  en  masse  to  resist  the  Foe. — Mur- 
der of  the  Princess  Lamballe.— Apology  of  the  Assassins. — Robespierre  and  St.  Just. — Views 
of  Napoleon. 

The  majestic  armies  of  the  Allies  were  now  rapidly  on  the  march  toward 
France,  and  there  was  no  force  on  the  frontiers  which  could  present  any  ef- 
fectual resistance.  La  Fayette  was  at  Sedan,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  northwest  of  Paris,  at  the  head  of  twenty  thousand  troops  who  were 
devoted  to  him.  His  opposition  to  the  Jacobins  had  already  caused  him  to 
be  denounced  as  a  traitor,  and  it  was  feared  that  he  might  go  over  to  the 
enemy,  and  by  his  strong  influence  carry  not  only  his  own  troops,  but  those 
of  General  Luckner  with  him.  The  condition  of  the  Patriots  was  apparently 
desperate.  The  Allies  were  confident  of  a  triumphant  and  a  rapid  march  to 
Paris,  where  all  who  had  sacrilegiously  laid  liands  upon  the  old  despotism 
of  France  would  be  visited  witii  condign  punishment. 

The  Jacobin  Club  was  now  the  sovereign  power  in  France.     It  was  more 
numerous  than  the  Legislative  Assembly,  and  its  speakers,  more  able  and  im- 
passioned, had  perfect  control  of  the  populace.     The  Jacobins  had,  by  the  in- 
surrection, or  rather  revolution,  of  the  10th  of  August,  organized  a  new  mu- 
nicipal government.     "Whatever  measure  the  Jacobin  Club  decided  to  have 
enforced  it  sent  to  the  committee  which  the  club  had  organized  as  the  city  gov- 
ernment at  the  Hotel  de  Ville.     This  committee  immediately  demanded  the 
passage  of  the  decree  by  the  Legislative  Assembly.     If  the  Assembly  mani- 
fested any  reluctance  in  obeying,  they  were  informed  that  the  tocsin  would  be 
rung,  the  populace  summoned,  and  the  scenes  of  the  10th  of  August  renewed, 
to  make  them  willing.  Such  was  now  the  new  government  instituted  in  France. 
The  Coimmme  of  Paris,  as  this  municipal  body  at  the  Hotel  de  Ville  was 
called,  immediately  entered  upon  the  most  vigorous  measures  to  break  up 
the  conspiracy  of  the  Royalists,  that  they  might  not  be  able  to  rise  and  join 
the  invading  armies  of  the  Allies.     The  French  Patriots  had  two  foes  equally 
formidable  to  dread — the  emigrants  with  the  Allies  marching  upon  the  fron« 
tiers,  composing  an  army  nearly  two  hundred  thousand  strong,  and  the  Roy- 
alists in  France,  who  were  readj-,  as  soon  as  the  AUies  entered  the  kingdom, 


296  THE  FEENCH  KEVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXIX. 

to  raise  tlie  standard  of  civil  war,  and  to  fall  upon  tlie  Patriots  with  exterm- 
inating hand.  There  was  thus  left  for  the  leaders  of  the  Kevolution  only 
the  choice  between  killing  and  being  killed.  It  was  clear  that  they  must 
now  either  exterminate  their  foes  or  be  exterminated  by  them.  And  it 
must  on  all  hands  be  admitted  that  the  king  and  the  court,  by  refusing  to 
accept  constitutional  liberty,  had  brought  the  nation  to  this  direful  alterna- 
tive. 

To  prevent  suspected  persons  from  escaping,  no  one  was  allowed  to  leave 
the  gates  of  Paris  without  the  most  careful  scrutiny  of  his  passport.  A  list 
was  made  out  of  every  individual  known  to  be  unfriendly  to  the  Eevolu- 
tion,  and  all  such  were  placed  under  the  most  vigilant  surveillance.  The 
citizens  were  enjoined  to  denounce  all  who  had  taken  any  part  in  the  slaugh- 
ter of  the  citizens  on  the  10th  of  August.  All  writers  who  had  supported 
the  Koyalist  cause  were  ordered  to  be  arrested,  and  their  presses  were  given 
to  Patriotic  writers.  Commissioners  were  sent  to  the  prisons  to  release  all 
who  had  been  confined  for  offenses  against  the  court.  As  it  was  feared  that 
the  army,  influenced  by  La  Fayette,  might  manifest  hostility  to  the  revolu- 
tionary movement  in  Paris,  which  had  so  effectually  demolished  the  Consti- 
tution, commissioners  were  sent  to  enlighten  the  soldiers  and  bring  them 
over  to  the  support  of  the  people.  It  was  at  first  contemplated  to  assign 
the  palace  of  the  Luxembourg  as  the  retreat  of  the  royal  family.  The  Com- 
mune of  Paris,  however,  decided  that  the  public  safety  required  that  they 
should  be  held  in  custody  where  escape  would  be  impossible,  and  that  their 
safe -keeping  should  be  committed  to  the  mayor,  Petion,  and  to  Santerre, 
who  had  been  appointed  commander  of  the  National  Guards. 

The  Assembly,  alarmed  at  the  encroachments  of  the  self-constituted  Com- 
mune of  Paris,  ordered  a  re-election  of  a  municipal  government  to  take  the 
place  of  that  which  the  insurrection  had  dissolved.  The  Commune  instantly 
dispatched  a  committee  to  inform  the  Assembly  that  if  they  made  any  far- 
ther move  in  that  direction  the  tocsin  should  again  be  rung,  and  that  the 
populace,  who  had  stormed  the  Tuileries,  should  be  directed  against  their 
hall.  The  deputies,  overawed  by  the  threat,  left  the  Commune  in  undisput- 
ed possession  of  its  power.  The  Commune  now  demanded  of  the  Assembly 
the  appointment  of  a  special  tribunal  to  punish  the  Eoyalists  who  had  fired 
upon  the  people  from  the  Tuileries,  and  those  who  "as  conspirators  and 
traitors"  were  ready  to  join  the  Allies  as  soon  as  they  should  enter  France. 
The  Assembly  hesitated.  The  Commune  sent  Eobespierre  at  the  head  of  a 
deputation  to  inform  them  in  those  emphatic  terms  which  he  ever  had  at  his 
command,  that  the  country  was  in  danger,  that  the  Allies  and  emigrants  were 
on  the  march,  that  no  delay  could  be  tolerated,  and  that  if  the  decree  were 
not  immediately  passed  the  tocsin  should  he  rung.  The  appalling  threat  was 
efficient,  and  the  decree,  though  some  heroically  opposed,  was  passed.*  Such 
was  the  origin  of  the  first  revolutionary  tribunal. 

*  "  As  a  citizen,  as  a  mapistrate  of  the  people,"  said  one  of  the  deputation,  "  I  come  to  inform 
you  that  at  twelve  o'clock  this  niglit  the  tocsin  will  be  rung  and  the  alarm  beaten.  The  people 
are  weary  of  not  beinR  avenged.  Beware  lest  they  do  themselves  justice.  I  demand  that  you 
forthwith  decree  that  a  citizen  be  appointed  by  each  section  to  form  a  criminal  tribunal." — Thiers^ 
i.,  341. 


1792.] 


THE  MASSACRE  OF  THE  ROYALISTS. 


297 


As  soon  as  the  commissioners  from  Paris  arrived  at  the  camp  of  La  Fay- 
ette they  were  by  his  orders  arrested  and  imprisoned,  and  the  soldiers  took 
anew  the  oath  of  fidelity  to  the  law  and  the  king.  The  news  of  their  arrest 
reached  Paris  on  the  17th,  and  excited  intense  irritation.  La  Fayette  was 
denounced  more  vehemently  than  ever,  and  a  fresh  deputation  was  dispatch- 
ed to  the  army.  La  Fayette  was  now  ruined.  The  coui't  was  ready  to  hang 
him  for  his  devotion  to  liberty.  The  Jacobins  thirsted  for  his  blood  because 
he  thwarted  their  plans.  Every  hour  his  situation  became  more  desperate, 
and  it  was  soon  evident  that  he  could  do  no  more  for  his  country,  and  that 
there  was  no  refuge  for  him  but  in  flight.  On  the  20th,  accompanied  by  a 
few  friends,  he  secretly  left  his  army,  and  took  the  road  to  the  Netherlands. 
When  he  reached  the  Austrian  outposts  at  Rochefort,  he  was  arrested  as  a 
criminal  in  defiance  of  all  law.  With  great  secrecy  he  was  taken  into  the 
interior  of  Austria,  and  thrown  into  a  dungeon  in  the  impregnable  fortress 
of  Olmutz.     Ilis  only  crime  was  that  he  had  wished  to  introduce  constitu- 


1.K   FAYETTE  IN  PEISON   AT  OUtfUTZ. 


tional  liberty  to  his  country.  This,  in  the  eye  of  despots,  was  an  unpardon- 
able sin.  Here  we  must  leave  him  to  languish  five  years  in  captivity;  de- 
prived of  every  comfort.  Many  efforts  were  made  in  vain  for  his  release. 
Washington  wrote  directly  to  the  Emperor  of  Austria  in  his  behalf,  but 
without  effect.  It  was  not  till  Napoleon,  thundering  at  the  walls  of  Vienna 
with  his  invincible  legions,  demanded  the  release  of  La  Fayette,  in  1797,  that 
the  doors  of  his  dungeon  were  thrown  open.* 

*  "  However  irritated  they  mip;ht  be  by  La  Fayette's  behavior  at  the  outset  of  the  Revolution,  the 
present  conduct  of  the  monarchs  toward  him  was  neither  to  be  vindicated  by  morality,  th«  law  of 
Vol.  IL— B 


298  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXIX. 

The  Britisti  people  sympathized  deeply  with  La  Fayette,  but  the  British 
government  assailed  him  with  unrelenting  ferocity.  On  the  17th  of  March, 
179-1,  Greneral  Fitzpatrick  moved  an  address  in  the  House  of  Commons,  to  his 
majesty,  requesting  his  interference  with  the  King  of  Prussia  in  behalf  of 
La  Fayette.  Mr.  Fox  advocated  the  measure  in  a  speech  of  great  eloquence 
and  power.  Nothing  can  more  clearly  show  the  spirit  of  the  court  party  in 
England  at  this  time  than  the  speeches  made  by  them  on  this  occasion. 
William  Pitt  assailed  La  Fayette  in  the  most  unfeeling  manner,  declaring 
that  "  he  would  never  admit  that  La  Fayette  was  a  true  friend  of  liberty  or 
deserved  well  of  his  country  or  of  Europe."  "  He  said,"  writes  Prof.  Smyth, 
"  every  thing  that  it  is  painful  to  read — he  was  rendered  insensible  on  this 
occasion  to  all  the  better  notions  of  his  education  and  natural  intuitions  of 
his  understanding.  There  is  no  pleasure  in  reading  the  abstract  of  his 
speech.  It  might  have  been  made  by  the  most  vulgar  minister  that  ever 
appeared.  Edmund  Burke  followed  in  a  speech  of  unmeasured  abuse.  In 
glowing  colors  he  depicted  all  the  scenes  of  violence  which  had  occurred  in 
France,  and,  declaring  La  Fayette  responsible  for  them  all,  concluded  with 
the  words,  "  I  would  not  debauch  my  humanity  by  supporting  an  application 
like  the  present  in  behalf  of  such  a  horrid  rufl&an."*  Mr.  Windham  followed 
in  the  same  strain.  He  expressed  exultation  in  view  of  the  calamities  which 
had  fallen  upon  this  great  patriot.  "La  Fayette,"  said  he,  ''has  brought 
himself  into  that  state  into  which  all  fomenters  of  great  and  ruinous  revolu- 
tions must  necessarily  fall ;  he  has  betrayed  and  ruined  his  country  and  his 
king.  I  am  not  sorry.  I  rejoice  to  see  such  men  drink  deep  of  the  cujo  of 
calamity  which  they  have  prepared  for  the  lips  of  others ;  and  I  never  will 
consent  to  do  an  act  which  will  put  a  premium  on  revolution,  and  which 
will  give  the  example  of  sanction  to  treason,  and  of  reward  to  rebellion." 

Such  was  the  spirit  of  the  court  of  St.  James  at  this  time.  These  speeches 
were  made  after  La  Fayette  had  been  languishing  for  two  years  in  the  dun- 
geons of  Olmutz,  exposed  to  almost  every  conceivable  indignity,  the  partic- 
ulars of  which  Mr.  Fox  had  aflfectingly  narrated.  The  debate  was  concluded 
by  ]\Ir.  Dundas,  who  thanked  Mr.  Windham  for  his  admirable  speech.  When 
the  vote  was  taken  but  fifty  were  found  in  sympathy  with  La  Fayette,  while 
one  hundred  and  thirty-two  voted  against  him. 

The  two  sovereigns  of  Prussia  and  Austria  were  now  at  Ma3'-ence.  Sixty 
thousand  Prussians  were  marching  in  single  column  by  Luxemburg  upon 
Longwy,  flanked  on  the  right  by  twenty  thousand  Austrians,  and  on  the  left 
by  twenty-six  thousand  Austrians  and  Hessians.  This  majestic  force  was 
strengthened  by  several  co-operating  corps  of  French  emigrants,  destined  to 
attack  exposed  positions,  and  to  afford  rallying  points  for  treason.     The  in- 

nations,  nor  the  rules  of  sound  policy.  Even  if  he  had  been  amenable  for  a  crime  afjainst  his  own 
country,  we  know  not  what  right  Austria  or  Prussia  had  to  take  cognizance  of  \t."—ScoWs  Life 
of  Ntipohon. 

*  "  Such  were  the  reasonings  and  expressions  of  Mr.  Burke  on  this  striking  occasion.  So  en- 
tirely was  the  mind  of  this  extraordinary  man  now  over  excited  and  overthrown  ;  so  entirely  es- 
tranged from  those  elevated  feelings  and  that  spirit  of  philanthropic  wisdom  which  have  made  his 
speeches  in  the  American  contest,  and  many  paragrajjhs  of  his  Reflections  on  this  Revolution  of 
France,  so  justly  the  admiration  of  mankind." — Prof.  Smith's  Lectures  on  the  French  Revolution, 
vol.  ii.,  p.  409. 


1792.] 


THE  MASSACRE  OF  THE  ROYALISTS. 


299 


vaders  crossed  the  frontiers  unimpeded,  and  after  a  short  and  bloody  strife 
captured  Longwy.  Onward  they  rushed.  The  feeble,  undisciplined  patriots, 
could  make  no  resistance,  and  fled  rapidly  before  them.  Thionville  and 
Verdun  were  surrounded,  and  after  a  short  but  terrific  storm  of  balls  and 
shells  capitulated.  There  were  many  Royalists  in  each  of  these  towns,  and 
they  received  the  invaders  with  every  demonstration  of  joy.  Their  daugh- 
ters in  congratulatory  procession  met  the  King  of  Prussia  at  the  gates  and 
strewed  his  path  with  flowers. 

The  garrison  of  Verdun  might  have  held  out  for  several  days,  though  they 
would  have  eventually  been  compelled  to  surrender.  General  Beaurepaire 
urged  very  strenuously  that  they  should  maintain  the  siege  to  the  last  pos- 
sible moment.  But  the  defensive  council  of  the  city,  with  whom  rested  the 
decision,  voted  an  immediate  capitulation. 

"Gentlemen,"  said  Beaurepaire,  "I  have  sworn  never  to  surrender  but 
wath  my  life.  You  may  live  in  disgrace,  since  you  wish  it ;  but  as  for  me, 
faithful  to  my  oath,  behold  my  last  words:  I  die  freer 

Immediately  he  discharged  a  pistol-shot  through  his  brain,  and  fell  dead 
before  them.  The  Convention  decreed  to  him  the  honors  of  the  Pantheon, 
and  granted  a  pension  to  his  widow. 


8UICIDE   OF   BKACKEPAIEE. 


The  victorious  allies,  having  surmounted  these  first  obstacles,  now  plunged 
into  the  defiles  of  the  Argonne,  and  in  fierce  and  bloody  assaults  drove  be- 
fore them  the  troops  of  Damourie/5,  who  had  hoped  in  these  forest-encum- 
bered passes  to  present  effectual  resistance  to  the  foe.     The  invaders  were 


300  THE  FRENCH  EEVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXIX. 

now  triumpliantly  marcliing  on  the  "high-road  to  Paris,  and  fugitives  were 
continually  arriving  in  the  metropolis,  declaring  that  the  army  of  the  north 
was  destroyed,  and  that  there  was  no  longer  any  obstacle  to  the  advance  of 
the  enemy.  No  language  can  describe  the  consternation  which  pervaded 
the  capital.  The  exultation  in  the  enemy's  camp  was  immense.  The  "cob- 
lers  and  tailors,"  as  the  emigrants  contemptuously  called  the  Patriots,  were 
running  away,  it  was  said,  like  sheep.* 

As  each  day  brought  tidings  of  the  fearful  strides  which  the  Allies  were 
making  toward  the  capital,  indescribable  terror  was  enkindled.  The  Con- 
stitutionalists and  the  Girondists  were  utterly  paralyzed.  But  the  leaders 
of  the  Jacobins — Dan  ton,  Eobespierre,  and  Marat — resolved  that,  if  they  were 
to  perish,  their  Eoyalist  enemies  should  perish  with  them.  It  was  known 
that  the  Koyalists  intended,  as  soon  as  the  Allies  should  be  in  Paris,  to  rise, 
liberate  the  king,  and  with  the  immense  moral  force  they  would  attain  by 
having  the  king  at  their  head,  join  the  invaders.  Nothing  would  then  re- 
main for  the  Revolutionists  but  exile,  death,  and  the  dungeon.f 

It  was  now  with  them  but  a  desperate  struggle  for  life.  They  must  either 
destroy  or  be  destroyed.  The  first  great  peril  to  be  apprehended  was  the 
rising  of  the  Royalists  in  Paris.  The  barriers  were  immediately  ordered  to 
be  closed,  and  guard-boats  were  stationed  on  the  river  that  no  one  might 
escape.  At  the  beat  of  the  drum  every  individual  was  enjoined  to  repair  to 
his  home.  Commissioners  then,  accompanied  by  an  armed  force,  visited 
every  dwelling.  Party  lines  were  so  distinctly  drawn  that  the  Royalists 
could  not  easily  escape  detection.  At  the  knock  of  the  commissioners  they 
held  their  breath  with  terror.  Many  attempted  concealment  in  chimneys, 
in  cellar-vaults,  beneath  the  floors,  and  in  recesses  covered  by  pictures  of 
tapestry.  But  workmen,  accustomed  to  all  such  arts,  accompanied  the  com- 
missioners. Chimneys  were  smoked,  doors  burst  open,  and  cellars,  floors, 
and  walls  sounded.  In  one  short  night  five  thousand  suspected  persons 
were  torn  from  their  homes  and  dragged  to  prison.  Every  man  was  deemed 
guilty  who  could  not  prove  his  devotion  to  the  popular  cause.:}: 

*  Jean  Debry,  in  the  Assembly,  exclaimed  with  fervor,  "The  most  instant  and  vifrorous  meas- 
ures must  be  adopted  in  defense  of  our  country.  The  expense  must  not  be  thoufijht  of.  "Within 
fifteen  days  we  shall  enjoy  freedom  or  meet  with  death.  If  we  are  conquered  we  shall  have  no 
need  of  money,  for  we  shall  not  exist.  If  we  are  victorious,  still  we  shall  not  feel  the  want  of 
money,  for  we  shall  ha  free." — Journal  of  John  Moore,  M.  Z>.,  vol.  i.,  p.  116. 

t  "The  intelligence  of  the  flight  of  La  Fayette,  the  entry  of  the  army  of  the  coalition  into  the 
French  territory,  the  capture  of  Longwy,  and  the  surrender  of  Verdun  burst  like  thunder  in  Paris, 
and  filled  every  heart  with  consternation,  for  France  had  never  approached  more  nearly  those 
sinister  days  which  presage  the  decay  of  nations.  Every  thing  was  dead  in  her  save  the  desire 
of  living ;  the  enthusiasm  of  the  country  and  liberty  survived.  Abandoned  by  all,  the  country 
did  not  abandon  itself.  Two  things  were  required  to  save  it — time  and  a  dictatorship.  Time? 
The  heroism  of  Dumouriez  afforded  it.  The  dictatorship?  Danton  assumed  it  in  the  name  of 
the  Commune  of  Paris." — Lamartine,  Hist.  Gir.,  vol,  ii.,  p.  119. 

t  Dr.  John  Moore,  a  very  intelligent  English  physician,  who,  in  company  with  Lord  Lauder- 
dale, was  in  Paris  during  all  these  scenes,  writes  in  his  journal,  "  This  search  was  made  accord- 
ingly in  the  course  of  last  night  and  this  morning.  The  commissioners  were  attended  with  a 
body  of  the  National  Guards,  and  all  avenues  of  the  section  were  watched  to  prevent  any  persons 
from  escaping.  They  did  not  come  to  our  hotel  till  about  six  in  the  morning.  I  attended  them 
through  every  room,  and  opened  every  door  of  our  a])artments.  They  behaved  with  great  civility. 
We  had  no  arms  but  pistols,  which  lay  openly  on  the  chimney.  They  admired  the  nicety  of  the 
workmanship  of  one  pair,  but  never  offered  to  take  them." — Vol.  i.,p.  116. 


3^792.1  THE  MASSACRE  OF  THE  ROYALISTS.  301 

Still  the  enemy  was  approaching.  "  In  three  days,"  rumor  said,  "  the 
Prussians  will  be  in  Paris."  The  whole  city  was  in  a  state  of  phrensy,  and 
ready  for  any  deed  of  desperation  which  could  rescue  them  from  their  peril. 
Danton  entered  the  Assembly  and  ascended  the  tribune  with  palHd  face 
and  compressed  lips.     Silence,  as  of  the  grave,  awaited  his  utterance. 

"The  enemy,"  said  he,  "threatens  the  kingdom,  and  the  Assembly  must 
prove  itself  worthy  of  the  nation.  It  is  by  a  convulsion  that  we  have  over- 
thrown despotism ;  it  is  only  by  another  vast  national  convulsion  that  we 
shall  drive  back  the  despots.  It  is  time  to  urge  the  people  to  precipitate 
themselves  en  masse  against  their  enemies.  The  French  nation  wills  to  be 
free,  and  it  shall  be." 

There  was  lurking  beneath  these  words  a  terrible  significance  then  little 
dreamed  of.  Jacobins  and  Girondists  were  now  united  by  the  pressure  of  a 
common  and  a  terrible  danger.  A  decree  was  immediately  passed  for  every 
citizen  in  Paris  capable  of  bearing  arms  to  repair  to  the  Field  of  Mars,  there 
to  be  enrolled  to  march  to  repel  the  Allies.  It  was  the  morning  of  the  Sab- 
bath. The  generale  was  beat,  the  tocsin  rung,  alarm-guns  fired,  and  placards 
upon  the  walls,  and  the  voice  of  pubhc  criers,  summoned  every  able-bodied 
man  to  the  appointed  rendezvous.  The  philosophic  Vergniaud,  in  a  word, 
explained  to  Paris  the  necessity  and  the  efficacy  of  the  measure.* 

"  The  plan  of  the  enemy,"  said  he,  "  is  to  march  directly  to  the  capital, 
leaving  the  fortresses  behind  him.  Let  him  do  so.  This  course  will  be  our 
salvation  and  his  ruin.  Our  armies,  too  weak  to  withstand  him,  will  be 
strong  enough  to  harass  him  in  the  rear.  When  he  arrives,  pursued  by  our 
battalions,  he  will  find  himself  face  to  face  with  our  Parisian  army  drawn 
up  in  battle  array  under  the  walls  of  the  capital.  There,  surrounded  on  all 
sides,  he  will  be  swallowed  up  by  the  soil  which  he  has  profaned." 

In  the  midst  of  the  uproar  of  the  multitudes  surging  through  the  streets, 
as  the  bells  were  ringing,  drums  beating,  and  the  armed  citizens  hurrying 
to  the  Field  of  Mars,  the  rumor  was  widely  circulated  that  the  Eoyalists  had 
formed  a  conspiracy  to  strike  down  their  jailers,  break  from  their  prisons, 
hberate  the  king,  take  possession  of  the  city,  rally  all  their  confederates  around 
them,  and  thus  throw  open  the  gates  of  Paris  to  the  Prussians.  It  was  mani- 
fest to  all  that,  in  the  confusion  which  then  reigned,  and  when  the  thunders 
of  the  Prussian  and  Austrian  batteries  were  hourly  expected  to  be  heard 
from  the  heights  of  Montmartre,  this  was  far  from  an  impracticable  plan. 
It  was  certain  that  the  Royalists  would  attempt  it,  whether  they  had  already 
formed  such  a  plan  or  not. 

It  is,  however,  probable  that  shrewd  men,  foreseeing  this  peril,  had  deliber- 
ately resolved  to  hurl  the  mob  of  Paris  upon  the  prisons  for  the  assassmation 

*  "  The  people  are  told  that  there  was  a  horrid  plot  between  the  Duke  of  Brunswick  and  cer- 
tain traitors  in  Paris ;  that  as  soon  as  all  the  new  levies  were  completed,  and  all  the  men  intend- 
ed for  the  frontiers  had  marched  out  of  Paris,  then  those  same  traitors  were  to  take  command 
of  a  large  body  of  men,  now  dispersed  over  the  capital  and  its  environs,  who  have  been  long  in 
the  pay  of  the  court,  though  they  also  are  concealed ;  that  these  concealed  leaders  at  the  head 
of  their  concealed  troops  were  to  have  thrown  open  the  prisons  and  to  arm  the  prisoners,  then  to 
go  to  the  Temple,  set  the  royal  family  free,  and  proclaim  the  king ;  to  condemn  to  death  all  the 
Patriots  who  remain  in  Paris,  and  most  of  the  wives  and  children  of  those  who  have  marched  oat 
of  it  against  the  enemies  of  their  country." — Moore's  Journal,  vol.  i.,  p.  144. 


302 


THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION. 


[Chap.  XXIX. 


of  all  the  Eoyalists,  before  emptying  the  city  of  its  defenders  to  march  to 
meet  the  foe.  While  the  bewildered  masses  were  in  this  state  of  terrific  ex- 
citement, six  hackney-coaches  left  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  conducting  twenty- 
four  Royalist  priests,  who  had  refused  to  take  the  oath,  to  the  prisons  of  the 
Abbaye.  The  people  crowding  around  and  following  the  carriages  began 
to  murmur,  "  Here  are  the  traitors,"  said  they,  "  who  intend  to  murder  our 
wives  and  children  while  we  are  on  the  frontiers." 

The  first  carriage  reached  the  door  of  the  jDrison.  One  priest  alighted. 
He  was  instantly  seized,  and  fell  pierced  by  a  thousand  poniards.  It  was 
the  signal  for  the  slaughter  of  the  whole.  The  murderers  fell  upon  every 
carriage,  and  in  a  few  moments  all  but  one,  who  miraculously  escaped,  were 
slain.  This  hideous  massacre  roused  the  populace  as  the  tiger  is  roused 
when  he  has  once  lapped  his  tongue  in  blood.  The  cry  was  raised,  "  To  the 
Carmelites,  to  the  Carmelites."  In  this  prison  two  hundred  priests  were  con- 
fined.    The  mob  broke  in  and  butchered  them  all. 


BUTOHEKY    AT   THE   fARMEMTES. 


A  man  by  the  name  of  Maillard  headed  this  mob,  which  consisted  of  but 
a  few  hundred  men.  Having  finished  the  work  at  the  Carmelites  and  gorged 
themselves  with  wine,  Maillard  exclaimed,  "Now  to  the  Abbaye."  The 
blood-stained  crew  rushed  after  him  through  the  streets,  and  dashed  in  the 
doors  of  the  prison.  The  Abbaye  was  filled  with  debtors  and  ordinary  con- 
victs as  well  as  suspected  aristocrats.  As  the  mob  rushed  into  the  corridor 
one  of  the  jailers  mounted  a  stool,  and,  addressing  the  assassins,  said,  "  My 
friends,  you  wish  to  destroy  the  aristocrats,  who  are  the  enemies  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  who  meant  to  murder  your  wives  and  children  while  you  were  at 
the  frontiers.  You  are  right  no  doubt ;  but  you  are  good  citizens ;  you  love 
justice ;  and  you  would  be  very  sorry  to  steep  your  hands  in  innocent  blood." 

"Yes,  certainly,"  one  of  the  leaders  replied. 

"Well,  then,"  continued  the  jailer,  "when  you  are  rushing  like  furious 
tigers  upon  men  who  are  strangers  to  you,  are  you  not  liable  to  confound 
the  innocent  with  the  guilty  V" 


1792.J  THE  iLiSSACRE  OF  THE  ROYALISTS.  303 

These  thoughts  seemed  to  impress  them,  and  it  was  immediately  decided 
that  Maillard  should  judge  each  prisoner,  lie  took  his  seat  at  a  table  ;  the 
prison  list  was  placed  in  his  hands,  and  the  prisoners,  one  by  one,  were 
brought  before  his  prompt  and  terrible  tribunal.  It  was  agreed,  in  order  to 
spare  unnecessary  sullcrmg,  that  when  the  judge  should  say,  "Sir,  you  must 
go  to  the  prison  of  La  Force,"  as  soon  as  the  prisoner  was  led  out  into  the 
court-yard  he  should  be  cut  down. 

A  Swiss  officer  was  tirst  brought  forward.  "  It  was  you,"  said  Maillard, 
"  w^ho  murdered  the  people  on  the  10th  of  August." 

"We  were  attacked,"  the  unfortunate  man  replied,  "and  only  obe3'ed  our 
superior  officers." 

"Very  well,"  said  Maillard,  "  we  must  send  j-ou  to  the  prison  of  La  Force." 

He  was  led  into  the  court-yard  and  instantly  slain.  Every  Swiss  soldier 
in  the  prison  met  the  same  fate.  Thus  the  work  went  on  with  terrible  ex- 
pedition until  one  hundred  and  eighty  were  put  to  death.  All  the  women 
were  left  unharmed.  Many  who  were  brought  before  the  tribunal  were  ac- 
quitted, and  the  crowd  manifested  great  joy  in  rescuing  them  as  their  friends. 
Amid  these  horrid  scenes  there  were  some  gleams  of  humanity.  The  Gov- 
ernor of  the  Invalides  was  doomed  to  death.  His  daughter  clasped  her 
father  in  her  arms  and  clung  to  him  so  despairingly  that  the  hearts  of  the 
assassins  were  melted.  One,  in  a  strange  freak,  presented  her  with  a  cup  of 
blood,  saying,  "If  you  would  save  your  father  drink  this  blood  of  an  aristo- 
crat." She  seized  the  cup  and  drained  it.  Shouts  of  applause  greeted  the 
act,  and  her  father  was  saved.* 

All  the  night  long  these  horrid  scenes  were  continued.  Every  prison  in 
Paris  witnessed  the  same  massacres,  accompanied  with  every  conceivable 
variety  of  horrors. 

The  unfortunate  Princess  Lamballe,  bosom  friend  of  Marie  Antoinette, 
was  confined  in  the  prison  of  La  Force.  She  w^as  brought  before  the  revo- 
lutionary judge,  and  after  a  brief  interrogation  she  was  ordered  to  "swear 
to  love  liberty  and  equality  ;  to  swear  to  hate  the  king,  the  queen,  and  roy- 
alty." "  I  will  take  the  first  oath,"  the  princess  replied ;  *Hhe  second  I  can 
not  take  ;  it  is  not  in  my  heart."  One  of  the  judges,  wishing  to  save  her, 
whispered  in  her  ear,  "  Swear  every  thing  or  you  are  lost."  But  the  un- 
happy princess  was  now  utterly  bewildered  with  terror,  and  could  neither 
see  nor  hear.  Her  youth  and  beauty  touched  the  hearts  even  of  many  of 
these  brutal  men.  They  desired  her  rescue,  and  endeavored  to  lead  her 
safely  through  the  crowd.  Cry  out,  said  the}^,  'long  live  the  nation,'  and 
you  will  not  be  harmed.  But  as  she  beheld  the  pavement  strewn  with 
corpses  of  the  slain,  she  could  not  utter  a  word.  Her  silence  was  taken  for 
defiance.  A  sabre  blow  struck  her  down.  The  murderers  fell  upon  her 
like  famished  wolves  upon  a  lamb.  Her  body  was  cut  into  fragments,  and 
a  band  of  wretches,  with  her  head  and  heart  upon  pikes,  shouted  "  Let  us 
camj  them  to  the  foot  of  the  throne.''''     They  rushed  through  the  streets  to  the 

*  "  Some  inexplicable  and  consolatory  acts  astonish  us  amid  those  horrors.  The  compassion 
of  Maillard  appeared  to  seek  for  the  innocent  with  as  much  care  as  his  venpeance  soupht  for  the 
guilty.  He  exposed  his  life  to  snatch  victims  from  his  executions," — Lamartine,  History  of  the 
Girondists,  vol.  ii.,  p.  140. 


304  THE  FKENCH  KEVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXIX. 

Temple,  and  shouted  for  the  king  and  queen  to  look  out  at  the  windows. 
A  humane  officer,  to  shield  them  from  the  awful  sight,  informed  them  of  the 
horrors  which  were  transpiring.  The  queen  fainted.  As  the  king  and  Mad- 
ame Elizabeth  bent  over  her,  for  hours  they  were  appalled  by  the  clamor 
of  the  rabble  around  the  walls  of  the  Temple. 

At  last  the  prisons  were  emptied,  and  the  murderers  themselves  became 
weary  of  blood.  It  is  impossible  to  ascertain  the  numbers  who  perished. 
The  estimate  varies  from  six  to  twelve  thousand.  The  Commune  of  Paris, 
which  was  but  the  servant  of  the  Jacobin  Club,  issued  orders  that  no  more 
blood  should  be  shed.  Assuming  that  the  assassination  was  demanded  by 
the  public  danger,  and  that  the  wretches  who  had  perpetrated  it  had  per- 
formed a  patriotic  though  a  painful  duty,  they  rewarded  them  for  their  work. 
Nothing  can  more  clearly  show  the  terrible  excitation  of  the  public  mind, 
produced  by  a  sense  of  impending  danger,  than  that  a  circular  should  have 
been  addressed  to  all  the  communes  of  France,  giving  an  account  of  the  mas- 
sacre as  a  necessary  and  a  praiseworthy  deed.  In  this  extraordinary  me- 
morial, signed  by  the  Administrators  of  the  Committee  of  Surveillance,  the 
writers  say, 

"  Brethren  and  Friends, — A  horrid  plot,  hatched  by  the  court,  to  mur- 
der all  the  Patriots  of  the  French  empire,  a  plot  in  which  a  great  number  of 
members  of  the  National  Assembly  are  implicated,  having,  on  the  ninth  of 
last  month,  reduced  the  Commune  of  Paris  to  the  cruel  necessity  of  em- 
ploying the  power  of  the  people  to  save  the  nation,  it  has  not  neglected  any 
thing  to  deserve  well  of  the  country. 

"  Apprised  that  barbarous  hordes  are  advancing  against  it,  the  Commune 
of  Paris  hastens  to  inform  its  brethren  in  all  the  departments  that  part  of 
the  ferocious  conspirators  confined  in  the  prisons  have  been  put  to  death  by 
the  people — acts  of  justice  which  appear  to  it  indispensable  for  repressing 
by  terror  the  legions  of  traitors  encompassed  by  its  walls,  at  the  moment 
when  the  people  were  about  to  march  against  the  enemy ;  and  no  doubt  the 
nation,  after  the  long  series  of  treasons  which  have  brought  it  to  the  brink 
of  the  abyss,  will  eagerly  adopt  this  useful  and  necessary  expedient ;  and 
all  the  French  will  say,  like  the  Parisians,  '  We  are  marching  against  the 
enemy,  and  we  will  not  leave  behind  us  brigands  to  murder  our  wives  and 
children.'  " 

The  instigators  of  these  atrocious  deeds  defended  the  measure  as  one  of 
absolute  necessity.  "  We  must  all  go,"  it  was  said,  "  to  fight  the  Prussians, 
and  we  can  not  leave  these  foes  behind  us,  to  rise  and  take  the  city  and  as- 
sail us  in  the  rear."  "  If  they  had  been  allowed  to  live,"  others  said,  "in  a 
few  days  we  should  have  been  murdered.  It  was  strictly  an  act  of  self-de- 
fense." Danton  ever  avowed  his  approval  of  the  measure,  and  said,  "  I 
looked  my  crime  steadfastly  in  the  face  and  I  did  it."  Marat  is  reproached 
as  having  contributed  to  the  deed.*     Eobespierre  appears  to  have  given  his 

*  M.  Chabot,  a  patriotic  orator,  who  had  been  a  Franciscan  friar,  spoke  in  the  Society  of  Jac- 
obins as  follows  of  Marat:  "Marat  is  reproached  with  being  of  a  sanguinary  disposition;  that 
he  contributed  to  the  late  massacres  iu  the  prisons.     But  in  so  doing  he  acted  iu  the  true  spirit 


1792.]  THE  ALVSSACRE  OF  THE  ROYALISTS.  305 

assent  to  the  massacre  with  reluctance,  but  it  is  in  evidence  that  he  walked 
his  chamber  through  the  whole  night  in  agony,  unable  to  sleep. 

At  eleven  o'clock  at  night  of  this  2d  of  September  Eobespierre  and  St. 
Just  retired  together  from  the  Jacobin  Club  to  the  room  of  the  latter.  St. 
Just  threw  himself  upon  the  bed  for  sleep.  Eobespierre  exclaimed  in  aston- 
ishment, 

"  What,  can  you  think  of  sleeping  on  such  a  night  ?  Do  you  not  hear 
the  tocsin?  Do  you  not  know  that  this  night  will  be  the  last  to  perhaps 
thousands  of  our  fellow-creatures,  who  are  men  at  the  moment  you  fall  asleep, 
and  when  you  awake  will  be  lifeless  corpses?" 

"I  know  it,"  replied  St.  Just,  "and  deplore  it;  and  I  wish  that  I  could 
moderate  the  convulsions  of  society;  but  what  am  I?"  then,  turning  in  his 
bed,  he  fell  asleep.  In  the  morning,  as  he  awoke,  he  saw  Eobespierre  pac- 
ing the  chamber  with  hasty  steps,  occasionally  stopping  to  look  out  of  the 
window,  and  listening  to  the  noises  in  the  streets.  "  What,  have  you  not 
slept?"  asked  St.  Just. 

"  Sleep !"  cried  Eobespierre ;  "  sleep  while  hundreds  of  assassins  murdered 
thousands  of  victims,  and  their  pure  or  impure  blood  runs  like  water  down 
the  streets !  Oh  no !  I  have  not  slept.  I  have  watched  like  remorse  or 
crime.     I  have  had  the  weakness  not  to  close  my  eyes,  but  Dantoii,  he  has 

Paris  was  at  this  time  in  a  state  of  such  universal  consternation,  the  gov- 
ernment so  disorganized,  and  the  outbreak  so  sudden  and  so  speedy  in  its 
execution,  that  the  Legislative  Assembly,  which  was  not  in  sympathy  with 
the  mob,  and  which  was  already  overawed,  ventured  upon  no  measures  of 
resistance.f 

But  there  can  be  no  excuse  offered  in  palliation  of  such  crimes.  Language 
is  too  feeble  to  express  the  horror  with  which  they  ever  must  be  regarded 
by  every  generous  soul.  But  while  we  consign  to  the  deepest  infamy  the 
assassins  of  September,  to  equal  infamy  let  those  despots  be  consigned  who, 
in  the  fierce  endeavor  to  rivet  the  chains  of  slavery  anew  upon  twenty-five 
millions  of  freemen,  goaded  a  nation  to  such  hideous  madness.  The  allied 
despots  of  Europe  roused  the  people  to  a  phrensj'-  of  despair,  and  thus  drove 
them  to  the  deed.  Let  it  never  be  forgotten  that  it  was  despotism,  not  liberty, 
which  planted  the  tree  which  bore  this  fruit.  If  the  government  of  a  coun- 
try be  such  that  there  is  no  means  of  redress  for  the  oppressed  people  but  in 

of  the  Revolution,  for  it  was  not  to  be  expected  that  while  our  bravest  patriots  were  on  the  front- 
iers we  should  remain  here  exposed  to  the  rape  of  the  prisoners,  who  were  jiromised  arms  and 
the  opportunity  of  assassinating  us.  It  is  well  known  that  the  plan  of  the  aristocrats  has  always 
been,  and  still  is,  to  make  a  general  carnage  of  the  common  people.  Now,  as  the  number  of  the 
latter  is  to  that  of  the  former  in  the  proportion  of  ninety-nine  to  one,  it  is  evident  that  he  who  pro- 
poses to  kill  one  to  prevent  the  killing  of  ninety-nine  is  not  a  blood-thirsty  man." 

*  Lamartine,  Ilistori/  oflhe  Girondists,  ii.,  132. 

t  Dr.  Moore,  while  denouncing  in  the  strongest  terms  the  bnitality  of  the  populace,  says,  "In 
such  an  abominable  system  of  oppression  as  the  French  labored  under  before  the  Revolution,  when 
the  will  of  one  man  could  control  the  course  of  law,  and  his  mandate  tear  any  citizen  from  the 
arms  of  his  family  and  throw  him  into  a  dungeon  for  years  or  for  life — in  a  country  where  such 
a  system  of  government  prevails,  insurrection,  being  the  sole  means  of  redress,  is  not  only  justifi- 
able, but  it  is  the  duty  of  every  lover  of  mankind  and  of  his  country,  as  soon  as  any  occasion  pre- 
sents itself  which  promises  success." 

u 


306  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXIX. 

the  horrors  of  insurrection,  that  country  must  bide  its  doom,  for,  sooner  or 
later,  an  outraged  people  will  rise.  While,  therefore,  we  contemplate  with  hor- 
ror the  outrages  committed  by  the  insurgent  people,  with  still  greater  horror 
must  we  contemplate  the  outrages  perpetrated  by  proud  oppressors  during 
long  ages,  con.signing  the  people  to  ignorance  and  degradation.  They  who 
hrutalize  a  people  should  be  the  last  to  complain  that,  w^hen  these  people  rise 
in  the  terribleness  of  their  might,  they  behave  like  brutes.  There  is  no  safety 
for  any  nation  but  in  the  education,  piety,  and  liberty  of  its  masses."^ 

The  Duke  of  Brunswick,  urging  resistlessly  on  his  solid  columns,  batter- 
ing down  fortresses,  plunging  through  defiles,  anticipated  no  check.  But 
on  the  20th  of  September,  to  his  great  surprise,  he  encountered  a  formidable 
army  intrenched  upon  the  heights  of  Yalmy,  near  Chalons,  apparently  pre- 
pared for  firm  resistance.  Here  Dumouriez,  with  much  military  skill,  had 
rallied  his  retreating  troops.  All  France  had  been  roused  and  was  rushing 
eagerly  to  his  support.  Paris,  no  longer  fearing  a  rise  of  the  Royalists,  was 
dispatching  several  thousand  thoroughly-armed  men  from  the  gates  every 
day  to  strenghthen  the  camp  at  Valmy,  which  was  hardly  a  hundred  miles 
from  Paris.  Dumouriez,  when  first  assailed,  had  less  than  forty  thousand 
troops  in  his  intrenchments,  but  the  number  rapidly  increased  to  over  seven- 
ty thousand. 

These  were  nearly  all  inexperienced  soldiers,  but  they  were  inspired  with 
intense  enthusiasm,  all  struggling  for  national  independence,  and  many  con- 
scious that  defeat  would  but  conduct  them  to  the  scaffold.  Macdonald,f 
who  afterward  so  gloriously  led  the  columns  at  Wagram,  and  Kellerman, 
who  subsequently  headed  the  decisive  charge  at  Marengo,  were  aids  of  Du- 
mouriez. Louis  Philippe  also,  then  the  Duke  of  Chartres  and  eldest  son  of 
the  Duke  of  Orleans,  signalized  himself  on  the  patriot  side  at  the  stern  strife 
of  Valmy. 

The  Duke  of  Brunswick  brought  forward  his  batteries  and  commenced  a 
terrific  cannonade.  Column  after  column  was  urged  against  the  redoubts. 
But  the  young  soldiers  of  France,  shouting  Vive  la  Nation,  bravely  repulsed 
every  assault.  The  Prussians,  to  their  inexpressible  chagrin,  found  it  im- 
possible to  advance  a  step.  Here  the  storm  of  battle  raged  with  almost  in- 
cessant fury  for  twenty  days.  The  French  were  hurrying  from  all  quarters 
to  the  field ;  the  supplies  of  the  invaders  were  cut  off;  dysentery  broke  out 
in  their  camp ;  autunmal  rains  drenched  them ;  winter  was  approaching ;  and 

*  "  Amid  the  disorders  and  sad  events  which  have  taken  place  in  this  country  of  late,  it  is  impos- 
sible not  to  admire  the  generous  spirit  which  glows  all  over  the  nation  in  support  of  its  independ- 
ency. No  country  ever  displayed  a  nobler  or  more  patriotic  enthusiasm  than  pervades  France  at 
this  period,  and  which  glows  with  increasing  ardor  since  the  publication  of  the  Duke  of  Bruns- 
wick's manifesto,  and  the  entrance  of  the  Prussians  into  the  country.  None  but  those  whose 
minds  are  obscured  by  prejudice  or  per^'crted  by  selfishness  will  refuse  this  justice  to  the  general 
spirit  displayed  by  the  French  in  defense  of  their  national  independence.  A  detestation  of  the 
excesses  committed  at  Paris,  not  only  is  compatible  with  an  admiration  of  this  spirit,  but  it  is 
such  well-informed  minds  alone  as  possess  sufficient  candor  and  sensibility  to  admire  the  one,  who 
can  have  a  due  horror  of  the  other." — Journal  of  John  Moore,  M.D.,vo].  i.,  p.  IfiO. 

t  "The  young  Macdonald,  descended  from  a  Scotch  family  transplanted  to  France,  was  aid- 
de-camp  to  Dumouriez.  He  learned  at  the  camp  of  Grandpre,  under  his  commander,  how  to 
save  a  country.  Subsequently  he  learned,  under  Napoleon,  how  to  illustrate  it.  A  hero  at  his 
first  step,  he  became  a  marshal  of  Fraoce  at  the  end  of  his  Vde."—Lamartine,  Bist.  Gir.,  U.,  168, 


1792.]  THE  MASSACRE  OF  THE  ROYALISTS.  307 

they  were  compelled,  in  discomfiture  and  humiliation,  to  turn  upon  their 
track  and  retire. 

On  the  15th  of  October  the  Allies  abandoned  their  camp  and  commenced 
a  retreat.  They  retired  in  good  order,  and  rccrossed  the  frontier,  leaving 
behind  them  twenty -five  thousand,  who  had  perished  by  sickness,  the  bullet, 
and  the  sword.  Dumouriez  did  not  pursue  them  with  much  vigor,  for  the 
army  of  the  Allies  was  infinitely  superior  in  discipline  to  the  raw  troops  un- 
der his  command. 

Winter  was  now  at  hand,  during  which  no  external  attack  upon  France 
was  to  be  feared.  All  government  was  disorganized,  and  the  question  which 
agitated  every  heart  was,  "  What  shall  be  done  with  the  king?" 

The  Duke  of  Chartres,  subsequently  Louis  Philippe,  King  of  the  French, 
then  a  young  man  but  seventeen  years  of  age,  after  vigorously  co-operating 
with  Dumouriez  in  repelling  the  invaders,  returned  to  Paris.  lie  presented 
himself  at  the  audience  of  Servan,  Minister  of  War,  to  complain  of  some  in- 
justice.    Danton  was  present,  and,  taking  the  young  duke  aside,  said  to  him, 

"What  do  you  do  here?  Servan  is  but  the  shadow  of  a  minister.  He 
can  neither  help  nor  harm  you.  Call  on  me  to-morrow  and  I  will  arrange 
your  business." 

The  next  day  Danton,  the  powerful  plebeian,  received  the  young  patrician 
with  an  air  of  much  affected  superiority.  "  Well,  young  man,"  said  he,  "  I 
am  informed  that  your  language  resembles  murmurs ;  that  you  blame  the 
great  measures  of  government ;  that  you  express  compassion  for  the  victims 
and  hatred  for  the  executioners.  Beware ;  patriotism  docs  not  admit  of 
lukewarmness,  and  you  have  to  obtain  pardon  for  your  great  name." 

The  young  prince  boldly  replied,  "  The  army  looks  with  horror  on  blood- 
shed any  w^here  but  on  the  battle-field.  The  massacres  of  September  seem  in 
their  eyes  to  dishonor  liberty," 

"  You  are  too  young,"  Danton  replied,  "  to  judge  of  these  events;  to  com- 
prehend these  you  must  be  in  our  place.  For  the  future  be  silent,  lieturn 
to  the  army;  fight  bravely;  but  do  not  rashly  expose  j^our  life.  France 
does  not  love  a  republic ;  she  has  the  habits,  the  weaknesses,  the  need  of  a 
monarchy.  After  our  storms  she  will  return  to  it,  either  through  her  vices 
or  necessities,  and  you  will  be  king.  Adieu,  young  man.  Eemember  the 
prediction  of  Danton."* 

In  reference  to  these  scenes  Napoleon  remarked  at  St.  Helena,  on  the  3d 
of  September,  1816,  "  To-day  is  the  anniversary  of  a  hideous  remembrance ; 
of  the  massacres  of  September,  the  St.  Bartholomew  of  the  French  Revolution. 
The  atrocities  of  the  8d  of  September  were  not  committed  under  the  sanc- 
tion of  government,  which,  on  the  contrary,  used  its  endeavors  to  punish  the 
crime.  The  massacres  were  committed  by  the  mob  of  Paris,  and  were  the 
result  of  fanaticism  rather  than  of  absolute  brutality.  The  Scptembriseurs 
did  not  pillage,  they  only  wished  to  murder.  They  even  hanged  one  of 
their  own  party  for  having  appropriated  a  watch  which  belonged  to  one  of 
their  victims. 

"  This  dreadful  event  arose  out  of  the  force  of  circumstances  and  the  spirit 
of  the  moment.  We  must  acknowledge  that  there  has  been  no  political 
*  History-  of  the  Girondists,  by  Laraartine,  ii.,  185, 


308  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXX 

change  unattended  by  popular  fury,  as  soon  as  tlie  masses  enter  into  action. 
The  Prussian  army  had  arrived  within  one  hundred  miles  of  Paris.  The 
famous  manifesto  of  the  Duke  of  Brunswick  was  placarded  on  all  the  walls 
of  the  city.  The  people  had  persuaded  themselves  that  the  death  of  all  the 
Eoyalists  in  Paris  was  indispensable  to  the  safety  of  the  Eevolution.  They 
ran  to  the  prisons  and  intoxicated  themselves  with  blood,  shouting  Vive  la 
Bevolution.  Their  energy  had  an  electric  effect,  from  the  fear  with  which  it 
inspired  one  party,  and  the  example  which  it  gave  to  the  other.  One  hund- 
red thousand  volunteers  joined  the  army,  and  the  Eevolution  was  saved. 

"I  might  have  preserved  my  crown  by  turning  loose  the  masses  of  the 
people  against  the  advocates  of  the  restoration.  You  well  recollect,  Mon- 
tholon,  when,  at  the  head  of  your  fauhouriens,  you  wished  to  punish  the 
treachery  of  Fouche  and  proclaim  my  dictatorship.  I  did  not  choose  to  do 
so.  My  whole  soul  revolted  at  the  thought  of  being  king  of  another  mob. 
As  a  general  rule  no  social  revolution  can  take  place  without  terror.  Every 
revolution  is  in  principle  a  revolt,  which  time  and  success  ennoble  and  ren- 
der legal,  but  of  which  terror  has  been  one  of  the  inevitable  phases.  How, 
indeed,  can  we  say  to  those  who  possess  fortune  and  public  situations,  '  Be- 
gone and  leave  us  your  fortunes  and  your  situations,''  without  first  intimidating 
them,  and  rendering  any  defense  impossible.  In  France  this  point  was  ef- 
fected by  the  lantern  and  the  guillotine."* 


CHAPTEE  XXX. 

THE   KING  LED  TO  TRIAL. 


Assa-ssination  of  Royalists  at  Versailles. — Jacobin  Ascendency. — The  National  Convention. — 
Two  Parties,  the  Girondists  and  the  Jacobins. — Abolition  of  Royalty. — Madame  Roland. — 
Battle  of  Jemappes. — Mode  of  life  in  the  Temple. — Insults  to  the  Royal  Family. — New  Acts 
of  Rigor. — Trial  of  the  King. — Separation  of  the  Royal  Family. — The  Indictment. — The  King 
begs  for  Bread. 

The  massacre  of  the  Eoyalists  in  Paris  was  not  followed  by  any  general 
violence  throughout  the  kingdom,  for  it  was  in  Paris  alone  that  the  Patriots 
were  in  imminent  danger.  In  Orleans,  however,  there  were  a  number  of 
Eoyalists  imprisoned  under  the  accusation  of  treason.  These  prisoners  were 
brought  to  Versailles  on  the  night  of  the  9th  of  September  to  be  tried.  A 
band  of  assassins  from  Paris  rushed  upon  the  carriages,  dispersed  the  escort, 
and  most  brutally  murdered  forty -seven  out  of  fifty-three,  f  They  then  went 
to  the  prison,  where  twelve  were  taken  out,  and,  after  a  summary  trial,  as- 
sassinated. 

In  the  mean  time  elections  were  going  on  for  the  National  Convention. 
The  Jacobin  Clubs,  now  generally  dominant  throughout  France,  almost  ev- 
ery where  controlled  the  elections.  Some  sober  Patriots  hoped  that  the  Con- 
vention would  be  disposed  and  able  to  check  the  swelling  flood  of  anarchy. 
But  others,  when  they  saw  that  the  most  violent  Eevolutionists  were  chosen 
as  deputies,  and  that  they  would  be  able  to  overawe  the  more  moderate 
Patriots  by  the  terrors  of  the  mob,  began  to  despair  of  their  country.     Paris 

*  Napoleon  at  St.  Helena,  394.  t  Peltier. 


,  THE  KING  LED  TO  TRIAL.  309 

sent  to  the  Convention  Eobespierre,  Danton,  Marat,  Chabot,  and  others  ^vlK> 
have  attained  terrible  notoriety  through  scenes  of  eonsternation  and  blood. 
The  Girondists  in  the  Convention,  Vergniaud,  Condorce,  Barbaroux,  Gen- 
sonn4  though  much  in  the  minority,  were  heroic  men,  illustrious  m  intelli- 
gence and  virtue.  There  was  no  longer  a  Royalist  party,  not  even  a  Con- 
ftitutional  Koyahst  party,  which  dared  to  avow  itself  in  i  ranee.  The  court 
and  the  Allies  had  driven  France  to  the  absolute  necessity  of  a  Republic. 

On  the  20th  of  September  the  Legislative  Assembly  was  dissolved,  and 
at  the  same  hour  and  in  the  same  hall  the  National  Convention  commenced 
its  session.     The  spirit  of  the  Girondists  may  be  seen  in  their  first  mot  on. 

"Citizen  representatives,"  said  M.  Manuel,  "in  this  place  every  thing 
ought  to  be  stamped  with  a  character  of  such  dignity  and  grandeur  as  to  fill 
the  world  with  awe.  I  propose  that  the  President  of  the  Assembly  be  lodged 
n  trTuileries,  that  in  public  he  shall  be  preceded  by  ^ards,  that  the  mem. 
bei  shall  rise  when  he  opens  the  Assembly.  Cineas  the  embassador  of 
Pyrrhus,  on  being  introduced  to  the  Roman  senate,  said  that  they  appeared 

like  an  assembly  of  kings."  ,     .,     t      i,-  .     r.,! 

This  proposition  was  contemptuously  voted  down  by  the  Jacobms.  Col- 
lot  d-Uerbois,  one  of  the  leading  Jacobins,  then  proposed  the  immediate 
abolition  of  royalty.  "  The  word  king,"  said  he,  "is  still  a  talisman,  whose 
magic  power  ma/create  many  disorders.  The  abolition  of  royalty  there- 
S  is  necessary.  Kings  are  in  the  moral  world  that  which  monsters  are  in 
the  natural.    Courts  are  always  the  centre  of  corruption  and  the  work-houses 


of  crime," 


No  one  ventured  to  oppose  this,  and  tlie  president  clcclared  that  by  a 
unanimous  vote  royalty  was  aholished.  It  was  then  voted  the  22d  of  Sep- 
tember 1792,  should  be  considered  the  first  day  of  the  first  year  of  the  Re- 
public,'and  that  all  documents  should  follow  the  date  of  this  era  It  was  on 
the  eve  of  this  day  that  intelligence  arrived  of  the  cannonade  of  \  almy,  m 
which  the  Patriot  armies  had  beaten  back  the  foe.     For  one  short  night 

Paris  was  radiant  with  joy.  ■       •     r\         ^         ^c 

The  most  illustrious  of  the  Girondists  met  that  evening  m  the  saloon  of 
Madame  Roland,  and  celebrated,  with  almost  religious  enthusiasm  the  advent 
of  the  Republic.  Madame  Roland,  in  the  accomplishment  of  the  most  in- 
tense desire  of  her  heart,  appeared  radiant  with  almost  supernatural  bril- 
iance  and  beauty.  It  was  observed  that  M.  Roland  gazed  upon  her  with  a 
peculiai  expression  of  fondness.  The  noble  and  gifted  Vergniaud  conversed 
but  little,  and  pensive  thoughts  seemed  to  chasten  his  joy. 

At  the  close  of  the  entertainment  he  filled  his  glass,  and  proposed  to  drink 
to  the  eternitv  of  the  Republic. 

"Permit  me,"  said  Madame  Roland,  "after  the  manner  of  the  ancients,  to 
scatter  some  rose-leaves  from  my  bouquet  m  your  glass." 

Vergniaud  held  out  his  glass,  and  some  leaves  were  sea tt^ed  on  the  wme. 
He  thfn  said,  in  words  strongly  prophetic  of  their  fate,  "We  sboukl  qu  ff, 
not  roses,  but  cypress-leaves,  in  our  wine  to-night.  In  drinking  to  a  repub- 
hc  stained  at  it^birth  with  the  blood  of  September,  who  knows  tha  we  do 
not  drink  to  our  own  death  ?  No  matter ;  were  this  wme  my  blood  I  would 
drain  it  to  liberty  and  equality." 


310 


THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXX. 

To  this  all  responded  witli  the  words  Vive  la  Repuhlique.  But  a  few 
months  elapsed  ere  almost  every  individual  then  present  perished  on  the 

scaffold 

In  the  mean  time  Dumouriez,  with  thirty-five  thousand  men  was  pursumg 
a  division  of  the  retreating  Allies,  consisting  of  twenty -five  thousand  Aus- 
trians,  under  General  Clairfayt,  through  Belgium  On  the  4th  of  November 
he  overtook  them  strongly  intrenched  upon  the  heights  of  Jemappes.     One 


m>^^i^^r'i 


~\  ^^ 


1792.]  THE  KING  LED  TO  TRIAL.  311 

day  was  consumed  in  bringing  up  bis  forces  and  arranging  bis  batteries  for 
tbe  assault.  Sixty  tbousand  men  were  now  arrayed  for  a  deadly  strife. 
One  bundred  pieces  of  cannon  were  in  battery  to  burl  into  tbe  dense  ranks 
destruction  and  deatb.  On  tbe  morning  of  tbe  6tb  tbe  storm  of  war  com- 
menced. All  tbe  day  long  it  raged  witb  pitiless  fury.  In  tbe  evening 
ten  tbousand  of  tbe  dying  and  tbe  dead  covered  tbe  ground,  and  tbe  Aus- 
trians  were  every  wbere  retreating  in  dismay.  Tbis  new  victory  caused 
great  rejoicing  in  Paris,  and  inspired  tbe  revolutionary  party  witb  new 
courage. 

—  Tbe  day  at  lengtb  arrived  for  tbe  trial  of  tbe  king.  It  was  tbe  11  tb  of 
December.  For  four  montbs  the  royal  family,  witb  ever-alternating  bopes 
and  fears,  wbicb  bad  been  gradually  deepening  into  despair,  bad  now  en- 
dured tbe  rigors  of  captivity.  Tbe  king,  witb  tbat  wonderful  equanimity 
wbicb  distinguisbed  bim  tbrougb  all  tbese  days  of  trial,  immediately  upon 
taking  possession  of  bis  gloomy  abode  introduced  system  into  tbe  employ- 
ment of  bis  time. 

Ilis  room  was  on  tbe  tbird  story.  He  usually  rose  at  six  o'clock,  sbaved 
bimself,  and  carefully  dressed  bis  bair.  He  tben  entered  a  small  room  or 
closet,  wbicb  opened  from  bis  sleeping- room,  and  engaged  in  devotional 
reading  and  prayer  for  an  bour.  He  was  not  allowed  to  close  tbe  door,  for 
a  municipal  officer  ever  stationed  in  bis  room  was  enjoined  never  to  allow 
tbe  king  to  leave  bis  sigbt.  He  tben  read  till  nine  o'clock,  during  wbicb 
time  bis  faitbful  servant,  Clery,  put  tbe  room  in  order,  and  spread  tbe  table 
for  tbe  breakfast  of  tbe  royal  family.  At  nine  o'clock  tbe  queen,  tbe  chil- 
dren, and  Madame  Elizabeth  came  up  from  the  rooms  which  they  occupied 
below  to  breakfast. 

The  meal  occupied  an  bour.  Tbe  royal  family  then  all  descended  to  tbe 
queen's  room,  where  they  passed  the  day.  The  king  employed  bimself  in 
instructing  his  son,  giving  him  lessons  in  geography,  which  was  a  favorite 
study  of  the  king ;  teaching  him  to  draw  and  color  maps,  and  to  recite  choice 
passages  from  Corneille  and  Eacine.  The  queen  assumed  the  education  of 
her  daughter,  while  her  own  hands  and  those  of  Madame  Elizabeth  were 
busy  in  needle-work,  knitting,  and  working  tapestry. 

At  one  o'clock,  when  the  weather  was  fine,  the  roval  family  were  con- 
ducted by  four  municipal  officers  into  the  spacious  but  dilapidated  garden 
for  exercise  and  the  open  air.  The  officials  who  guarded  tbe  king  were  fre- 
quently changed.  Sometimes  they  chanced  to  be  men  of  humane  character 
who,  though  devoted  to  the  disinthrallment  of  France  from  tbe  terrible  des- 
potism of  ages,  still  pitied  tbe  king  as  tbe  victim  of  circumstances,  and  treat- 
ed bim  with  kindness  and  respect.  But  more  generally  these  men  were 
vulgar  and  rabid  Jacobins,  who  exulted  in  tbe  opportunity  of  wreaking  upon 
tbe  king  tbe  meanest  revenge.  They  chalked  upon  tbe  walls  of  tbe  prison, 
"  The  guillotine  is  permanent  and  ready  for  the  tyrant  Louis."  *'  Madame 
Veto  shall  swing."  "  The  little  wolves  must  be  strangled."  Under  a  gal- 
lows, to  which  a  figure  was  suspended,  was  inscribed  tbe  words,  "Louis  taking 
an  air-bath."    From  such  ribald  insults  the  monarch  bad  no  protection. 

A  burly  brutal  wretch,  named  Rocher,  was  one  of  tbe  keepers  of  tbe  Tower. 
He  went  swaggering  about  with  a  bunch  of  enormous  keys  clattering  at  bis 


312 


THE  FEENCH  REVOLUTION. 

,  ■  ,11'  l.Mllltllll!i|,|irffl^I!^|l,^v..^\\\. 


[Chap.  XXX. 


LOUTB   SVI.    AND   THE  ROVAL   FAMILY   IN   TIIK   TEMPLE. 


belt,  seeming  to  glory  in  his  power  of  annoying,  by  petty  insults,  a  king  and 
a  queen.  When  the  royal  family  were  going  out  into  the  garden  he  would 
go  before  them  to  unlock  the  doors.  Making  a  great  demonstration  in  rat- 
tling his  keys,  and  affecting  much  difficulty  in  finding  the  right  one,  all  the 
party  would  be  kept  waiting  while  he  made  all  possible  delay  and  noise  in 
drawing  the  bolts  and  swinging  open  the  ponderous  doors.  At  the  side  of 
the  last  door  he  not  unfrequently  stationed  himself  with  his  pipe  in  his 
mouth,  and  pufted  tobacco-smoke  into  the  faces  of  the  king,  the  queen,  and 
the  children.  Some  of  the  guards  stationed  around  would  burst  into  insult- 
ing laughter  in  view  of  these  indignities,  which  the  king  endured  with  meek- 
ness which  seems  supernatural. 

The  recital  of  such  conduct  makes  the  blood  boil  in  one's  veins,  and  leads 
one  almost  to  detest  the  very  name  of  liberty.  But  then  we  must  not  for- 
get that  it  was  despotism  which  formed  these  hideous  characters ;  that,  age 
after  age  and  century  after  century,  kings  and  nobles  had  been  trampling 
upon  the  people,  crushing  their  rights,  lacerating  their  heart-strings,  doom- 
ing fathers  and  mothers,  sons  and  daughters,  by  millions  upon  millions,  to 
beggary,  degradation,  and  woe.  It  was  time  for  the  people  to  rise  at  every 
hazard  and  break  these  chains.     And  while  humanity  must  weep  over  the 


1792.]  THE  KING  LED  TO  TRIAL.  313 

woes  of  Louis  XVI.  and  his  unhappy  household,  humanity  can  not  forget 
that  there  are  other  families  and  other  hearts  who  claim  her  sympathies, 
and  that  this  very  Louis  XVI.  was  at  this  very  time  doing  every  thing  in 
his  power,  by  the  aid  of  the  armies  of  foreign  despots,  to  bring  the  millions 
of  France  again  under  the  sway  of  the  most  merciless  despotism.  And  it 
can  not  be  questioned  that,  had  kings  and  nobles  regained  their  power,  they 
would  have  wreaked  a  more  terrible  vengeance  upon  the  re-enslaved  people 
than  the  people  wreaked  upon  them. 

For  an  hour  the  royal  family  continued  walking  in  the  garden.  From  the 
roofs  of  the  adjacent  houses  and  the  higher  windows  they  could  be  seen. 
Every  day  at  noon  these  roofs  and  windows  were  crowded  by  those  anxious 
to  obtain  a  view  of  the  melancholy  group  of  captives.  Frequently  they 
were  cheered  by  gestures  of  affection  from  unknown  friends.  Tender  words 
were  occasionally  unrolled  in  capital  letters,  or  a  flower  to  which  a  pebble 
was  attached  would  fall  at  their  feet.  These  tokens  of  love,  slight  as  they 
were,  came  as  a  balm  to  their  lacerated  hearts.  So  highly  did  they  prize 
them,  that  regardless  of  rain,  cold,  and  snow,  and  the  intolerable  insults  of 
their  guards,  they  looked  forward  daily  with  eagerness  to  their  garden  walk. 
They  recognized  particular  localities  as  belonging  to  their  friends,  saying, 
"  such  a  house  is  devoted  to  us  ;  such  a  story  is  for  us ;  such  a  room  is  loyal ; 
such  a  window  friendly." 

At  two  o'clock  the  royal  family  returned  to  the  king's  room,  where  din 
ner  was  served.  After  dinner  the  king  took  a  nap,  while  the  queen,  Mad- 
ame Elizabeth,  and  the  young  princess  employed  themselves  with  their 
needles,  and  the  dauphin  played  some  game  with  Clery,  whose  name  should 
be  transmitted  with  honor  to  posterity  as  faithful  in  misfortune.  When  the 
king  awoke  from  his  nap  he  usually  read  aloud  to  his  family  for  an  hour 
or  two  until  supper-time.  Soon  after  supper,  the  queen,  with  her  children 
and  Madame  Elizabeth,  retired  to  their  rooms  for  the  night.  With  hearts 
bound  together  by  these  terrible  griefs,  they  never  parted  but  with  a  tender 
and  sorrowful  adieu.* 

Such  was  the  monotonous  life  of  the  royal  family  during  the  four  months 
they  occupied  the  Temple  before  the  trial  of  the  king.  But  almost  every 
day  of  their  captivity  some  new  act  of  rigor  was  enforced  upon  them.  As 
the  armies  of  the  Allies  drew  nearer,  and  city  after  city  was  falling  before 
their  bombardments,  and  Paris  was  in  a  phrensy  of  terror,  apprehensions  of 
a  conspiracy  of  the  king  with  the  Royalists,  and  of  their  rising  and  aiding 
the  invaders  with  an  outburst  of  civil  war,  led  to  the  adoption  of  precautions 
most  irksome  to  the  captives. 

Municipal  officers  never  allowed  any  member  of  the  royal  family  to  be  out 
of  their  sight,  except  when  they  retired  to  bed  at  night.  They  then  locked 
the  doors,  and  placed  a  bed  against  the  entrance  to  each  apartment,  and  there 
an  officer  slept,  so  as  to  prevent  all  possibility  of  egress.  Every  day  San- 
terre,  commander  of  the  National  Guard,  made  a  visit  of  inspection  to  all  the 
*  The  queen  undressed  the  dauphin,  when  he  repeated  the  followinp  prayer,  composed  by  the 
queen  and  remembered  and  recorded  by  her  daughter:  "  Almighty  God,  who  created  and  re- 
deemed me,  I  love  you  !  Treserve  the  days  of  my  father  and  my  family.  Protect  us  against  our 
enemies.  Give  my  mother,  my  aunt,  my  sister,  the  strength  they  need  to  support  their  troubles." 
— Lamartine,  History  of  the  Girondists,  vol.  ii.,  p.  287. 
Vol.  XL— C 


314  THE  PRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXX. 

rooms  witTi  his  staff.  At  first  the  royal  family  had  been  allowed  pen,  ink, 
and  paper,  but  this  privilege  was  soon  withdrawn,  and  at  last  the  cruel  and 
useless  measure  was  adopted  of  taking  from  them  all  sharp  instruments,  such 
as  knives,  scissors,  and  even  needles,  thus  depriving  the  ladies  not  only  of  a 
great  solace,  but  of  the  power  of  repairing  their  decaying  apparel.  It  was 
not  the  intention  of  the  Legislative  Assembly  that  the  royal  family  should 
be  exposed  to  needless  suffering.  Four  hundred  dollars  were  placed  in  their 
hands  at  the  commencement  of  their  captivity  for  their  petty  expenses,  and 
the  Grovernor  of  the  Temple  was  ordered  to  purchase  for  them  whatever 
they  might  need,  five  hundred  thousand  francs  ($100,000)  having  been  ap- 
propriated by  the  Convention  for  their  expenses.* 

They  were  not  allowed  to  see  the  daily  journals,  which  would  have  in- 
formed them  of  the  triumphant  march  of  the  Allies,  but  occasionally  papers 
were  sent  to  them  which  recorded  the  victories  of  the  Republic.  Clery, 
however,  devised  a  very  shrewd  expedient  to  give  them  some  information 
of  the  events  which  were  transpiring.  He  hired  a  newsman  to  pass  daily 
by  the  windows  of  the  Temple,  under  the  pretense  of  selling  newspapers, 
and  to  cry  out  the  principal  details  contained  in  them.  Clery,  while  appar- 
ently busy  about  the  room,  was  always  sure  to  be  near  the  window  at  the 
appointed  hour,  listening  attentively.  At  night,  stooping  over  the  king's 
bed  to  adjust  the  curtains,  he  hastily  whispered  the  news  he  had  thus  gath- 
ered. All  this  required  the  greatest  caution,  for  a  municipal  ofiicer  was 
always  in  the  room,  watching  every  movement. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  11th  of  December  all  Paris  was  in  commo- 
tion to  witness  the  trial  of  the  king,  which  was  to  commence  on  that  day. 
The  beating  of  drums  in  the  street,  the  mustering  of  military  squadrons  at 
their  appointed  places  of  rendezvous,  the  clatter  of  hoofs,  and  the  rumbling 
of  artillery  over  the  pavements  penetrated  even  the  gloomy  apartments  of 
the  Temple,  and  fell  appallingly  upon  the  ears  of  the  victims  there. 

The  royal  family  were  at  breakfast  as  they  heard  these  ominous  sounds, 
and  they  earnestly  inquired  the  cause.  After  some  hesitation  the  king  was 
informed  that  the  Mayor  of  Paris  would  soon  come  to  conduct  him  to  his 
trial,  and  that  the  troops  gathering  around  the  Temple  were  to  form  his  es- 
cort. He  was  also  required  immediately  to  take  leave  of  his  family,  and 
told  that  he  could  not  be  permitted  to  see  them  again  until  after  his  trial. 
Expressions  of  heart-rending  anguish  and  floods  of  tears  accompanied  this 
cruel  separation.  The  king  jDleaded  earnestly  and  with  gushing  eyes  that, 
at  least,  he  might  enjoy  the  society  of  his  little  son,  saying, 

*  "We  must  not  exaggerate  the  faults  of  human  nature,  and  suppose  that,  adding  an  execrable 
meanness  to  the  fury  of  fana  ieism,  the  keepers  of  the  imprisoned  family  imposed  on  it  unworthy 
privations,  with  the  intention  of  rendering  the  remembrance  of  its  past  greatness  the  more  jiain- 
ful.  Distrust  was  the  sole  cau;?e  cf  certain  refusals.  Thus,  while  the  dread  of  plots  and  secret 
communications  prevented  them  frou  -"(Iniitting  more  than  one  attendant  into  the  interior  of  the 
prison,  a  numerous  establishment  was  ompi  lycd  in  preparing  their  food.  Thirteen  persons  were 
engaged  in  tiie  duties  of  the  kitchen,  situated  at  some  distance  from  the  tower.  The  report  of 
the  expenses  of  the  Temjile,  where  the  greatest  decency  is  observed,  where  the  prisoners  are 
mentioned  with  respect,  where  their  sobriety  is  commended,  where  Louis  XVI.  is  justified  from 
the  low  reproach  of  being  too  much  addicted  to  wine — these  reports,  which  are  not  liable  to  sus- 
picion, make  the  total  expenses  of  the  table  amount  in  two  months  to  28,745  livres  ($5749)." — 
Thiers,  vol.  ii.,  p.  26. 


1792.]  THE  KING  LED  TO  TRIAL.  35^5 

"  What,  gentlemen  I  deprive  mc  of  even  the  presence  of  my  son — a  cliild 
of  seven  years!" 

But  the  commissioners  were  inexorable.  "  The  Commune  thinks,"  said 
they,  "  that,  since  you  are  to  be  au  secret  during  your  trial,  your  son  must 
necessarily  be  confined  either  with  you  or  his  mother ;  and  it  has  imposed 
xhe  privation  upon  that  parent  who,  from  his  sex  and  courage,  was  best  able 
to  support  it." 

The  queen,  with  the  children  and  Madame  Elizabeth,  were  conducted  to 
the  rooms  below.  The  king,  overwhelmed  with  anguish,  threw  himself  into 
a  chair,  buried  his  ftice  in  his  hands,  and,  without  uttering  a  word,  remained 
immovable  as  a  statue  for  two  hours.  At  noon  M.  Chambon,*  the  Mayor  of 
Paris,  with  Santcrre,  commander  of  the  National  Guard,  and  a  group  of 
officers,  all  wearing  the  tricolored  scarf,  entered  the  king's  chamber. 

Chambon,  with  solemnity  and  with  a  fiiltering  voice,  informed  the  king 
of  the  painful  object  of  their  mission,  and  summoned  him,  in  the  name  of 
the  Convention,  as  Lo^ds  Ccqxt,  to  appear  before  their  bar. 

"  Gentlemen,"  replied  the  king,  "  Capet  is  not  my  name.  It  is  the  name 
of  one  of  my  ancestors.  I  could  have  wished  that  my  son,  at  least,  had  been 
permitted  to  remain  with  me  during  the  two  hours  I  have  awaited  you. 
However,  this  treatment  is  but  a  ])art  of  the  sj^stem  adopted  toward  me 
throughout  my  captivity.  I  follow  you,  not  in  obedience  to  the  orders  of 
the  Convention,  but  because  my  enemies  are  more  powerful  than  I." 

Immediately  rising,  he  put  on  his  great-coat,  took  his  hat,  and,  following 
the  mayor,  and  followed  by  the  staff  of  ofl&cers,  descended  the  stairs  of  the 
tower. 

Before  the  massive  portal  of  the  Temple  the  carriage  of  the  mayor  was 
drawn  up,  surrounded  by  a  guard  of  six  hundred  picked  men.  A  numer- 
ous detachment  of  cavalry,  as  an  advance-guard,  dragging  six  pieces  of  can- 
non, led  the  melancholy  procession  which  was  conducting  a  monarch  to  the 
judgment-bar  and  to  death.  A  similar  body  of  cavalry  followed  in  the  rear 
with  three  pieces  of  cannon.  These  precautions  were  deemed  necessary  to 
guard  against  any  possible  rescue  by  the  Eoyalists.  Every  soldier  was  sup- 
plied with  sixteen  rounds  of  cartridges,  and  the  battalions  marched  in  such 
order  that  they  could  instantly  form  in  line  of  battle.  The  National  Guard 
lined  the  streets  through  which  they  passed,  one  hundred  thousand  men  be- 
ing under  arms  in  Paris  that  day. 

The  cavalcade  passed  slowly  along  the  Boulevards.  The  house-tops,  the 
windows,  the  side-walks,  were  thronged  with  countless  thousands.  The 
king,  deprived  of  his  razor,  had  been  unable  to  shave,  and  his  face  was  cov- 
ered with  shaggy  hair;  his  natural  corpulence,  wasted  away  by  imprison- 
ment, caused  his  garments  to  hang  loose  and  flabby  about  him  ;  his  features 
were  wan  through  anxiety  and  suffering.     Thus,  unfortunately,  every  thing 

*  "  M.  Chambon,  tho  successor  ofBailly  and  Pelion,  was  a  learned  and  humane  physician, 
whom  public  esteem  rather  than  Revolutionary  favor  had  raised  to  the  difjnity  of  the  first  mag- 
istrate of  Paris.  0(  inodere  j)rinciples,  kind  and  warm-hearted,  accustomed,  by  his  profession,  to 
sympathize  with  tlie  unfortunate,  comi)ellcd  to  exei'ute  orders  repupiant  to  his  feelings,  the  pitj 
of  the  man  was  visible  beneath  the  inflexibility  of  the  magistrate." — Lamar  tine,  Hist,  des  Giro?!' 
distes,  vol.  ii.,  p.  321. 


316  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChaP.  XXX. 

in  his  personal  appearance  combined  to  present  an  aspect  exciting  disgust 
and  repulsion  rather  than  sympathy.  The  procession  passed  down  the  Place 
Yendome  and  thence  to  the  Monastery  of  the  Feuillants,  The  king  alighted. 
Santerre  took  his  arm  and  led  him  to  the  bar  of  the  Convention.  There 
was  a  moment  of  profound  silence.  All  were  awe-stricken  by  the  solemnity 
of  the  scene.     The  president,  Barrere,*  broke  the  silence,  saying, 

"  Citizens !  Louis  Capet  is  before  you.  The  eyes  of  Europe  are  upon  you. 
Posterity  will  judge  you  with  inflexible  severity.  Preserve,  then,  the  dig- 
nity and  the  dispassionate  coolness  befitting  judges.  You  are  about  to  give 
a  great  lesson  to  kings,  a  great  and  useful  example  to  nations.  Recollect 
the  awful  silence  which  accompanied  Louis  from  Yarennes — a  silence  that 
was  the  precursor  of  the  judgment  of  kings  by  the  people."  Then,  turning 
to  the  king,  Barrere  said,  "Louis,  the  French  nation  accuses  you.  Be  seat- 
ed, and  listen  to  the  Act  of  Accusation."  It  was  then  two  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon. 

The  formidable  indictment  was  read.  The  king  was  held  personally  re- 
sponsible for  all  the  acts  of  hostility  to  popular  liberty  which  had  occurred 
under  his  reign.  A  minute,  truthful,  impartial  recapitulation  of  those  acts, 
which  we  have  recorded  in  the  previous  pages,  constituted  the  accusation. 
The  king  listened  attentively  to  the  reading,  and  without  any  apparent  emo- 
tion. The  accusation  consisted  of  fifty-seven  distinct  charges.  As  they 
were  slowly  read  over,  one  by  one,  the  president  paused  after  each  and  said 
to  the  king,  "  What  have  you  to  answer?"  But  two  courses  consistent  with 
kingly  dignity  were  open  for  the  accused.  The  one  was  to  refuse  any  reply 
and  to  take  shelter  in  the  inviolability  with  which  the  Constitution  had  in- 
vested him.  The  other  was  boldly  to  avow  that  he  had  adopted  the  meas- 
ures of  which  he  was  accused,  believing  it  to  be  essential  to  tlic  welfare  of 
France  that  the  headlong  progress  of  the  Revolution  should  be  checked. 
Neither  would  have  saved  his  life,  but  either  would  have  rescued  his  mem- 
ory from  much  reproach.  But  the  king,  cruelly  deprived  of  all  counsel 
with  his  friends,  dragged  unexpectedly  to  his  trial,  and  overwhelmed  with 
such  a  catalogue  of  accusations,  unfortunately  adopted  the  worst  possible 
course.  The  blame  of  some  of  the  acts  he  threw  upon  his  ministers ;  some 
facts  he  denied ;  and  in  other  cases  he  not  only  prevaricated  but  stooped  to 
palpable  falsehood.  When  we  reflect  upon  the  weak  nature  of  the  king  and 
the  confusion  of  mind  incident  to  an  hour  of  such  terrible  trial,  we  must 
judge  the  unhappy  monarch  leniently.  But  when  the  king  denied  even  the 
existence  of  the  iron  chest  which  the  Convention  had  already  found,  and 
had  obtained  proof  to  demonstration  that  he  himself  had  closed  up,  and 
when  he  denied  complicity  with  the  Allies,  proofs  of  which,  in  his  own  hand- 
writing, were  found  in  the  iron  safe,  it  is  not  strange  that  the  effect  should 
have  been  exceedingly  unfavorable  to  his  defense.f 

*  ' '  Barrere  escaped  during  the  difi'crent  ebullitions  of  the  Revolution  because  he  was  a  man, 
without  principle  or  character,  who  changed  and  adapted  himself  to  every  side.  He  had  the  rep- 
utation of  being  a  m.in  of  talent,  but  I  did  not  find  him  such.  I  employed  him  to  write,  but  he 
displayed  no  ability.  He  used  many  flowers  of  rhetoric,  but  no  solid  argument." — Napoleon  at 
St.  IJelena. 

t  Gamain,  the  locksmith,  who  for  ten  years  had  worked  for  and  with  the  king,  and  who  had 
aided  him  in  constructing  this  iron  safe,  basely  betrayed  the  secret.     The  papers  were  all  seized 


1792.] 


THE  KING  LED  TO  TRIAL. 


3i: 


11.   IRON   SAFE. 


This  interrogation  was  continued  for  three  hours,  at  the  close  of  which 
the  king,  who  had  eaten  nothing  since  his  interrupted  breakfast,  was  so  ex- 
hausted that  he  could  hardly  stand.  Santerre  then  conducted  him  into  an 
adjoining  committee-room.  Before  withdrawing,  however,  the  king  de- 
manded a  copy  of  the  accusation,  and  counsel  to  assist  him  in  his  defense. 
In  the  committee-room  the  king  saw  a  man  eating  from  a  small  loaf  of 
bread.  Faint  with  hunger,  the  monarch  approached  the  man,  and,  in  u 
whisper,  implored  a  morsel  for  himself. 

"Ask  aloud,"  said  the  man,  retreating,  "for  what  you  want."  He  feared 
that  he  should  be  suspected  of  some  secret  conspiracy  with  the  king. 

"I  am  hungry,"  said  Louis  XVI.,  "and  ask  for  a  piece  of  your  bread." 

"  Divide  it  with  me,"  said  the  man.  "  It  is  a  Spartan  breakfast.  If  I  had 
a  root  I  would  give  you  half" 

The  king  entered  the  carriage  eating  his  crust.  The  same  cavalcade  as 
in  the  morning  preceded  and  accompanied  him.  The  same  crowds  thronged 
the  streets  and  every  point  of  observation.  A  few  brutal  wretches,  insult- 
ing helplessness,  shouted  Vive  la  Revolution!  and  now  and  then  a  stanza 
of  the  Marseillaise  Hymn  fell  painfully  upon  his  ear.  Chambon,  the  mayor, 
and  Chaumette,  the  public  prosecutor,  were  in  the  carriage  with  the  king. 

and  intrusted  by  the  Convention  to  a  committee  of  twelve,  who  were  to  examine  and  report  upon 
them.  This  Judas  received,  as  his  reward  from  the  Convention,  a  pension  of  two  hundred  and 
furty  dollars  a  year.     See  France  and  its  Revolutions,  by  Geo.  Long,  Esq.,  p.  241. 


318  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXL 

Louis,  having  eaten  as  much  of  the  half  loaf  of  bread  as  he  needed,  had  still 
a  fragment  in  his  hand. 

"  What  shall  I  do  with  it  ?"  inquired  the  simple-hearted  monarch.  Chau- 
mette  relieved  him  of  his  embarrassment  by  tossing  it  out  of  the  window. 

"Ah,"  said  the  king,  "it  is  a  pity  to  throw  bread  away  when  it  is  so 
dear." 

"  True,"  replied  Chaumette ;  "  my  grandmother  used  to  say  to  me,  '  Lit- 
tle boy,  never  waste  a  crumb  of  bread ;  you  can  not  make  one.'  "* 

"Monsieur  Chaumette,"  Louis  rejoined,  "your  grandmother  appears  to 
me  to  have  been  a  woman  of  great  good  sense." 

It  was  half-past  six  o'clock,  and  the  gloom  of  night  enveloped  the  Tem- 
ple, when  Louis  was  again  conducted  up  the  stairs  of  the  tower  to  his  dis- 
mal cell.  He  piteously  implored  permission  again  to  see  his  family.  But 
Chambon  dared  not  grant  his  request  in  disobedience  to  the  commands  of 
the  Commune. 

The  most  frivolous  things  often  develop  character.  It  is  on  record  that 
the  toils  and  griefs  of  the  day  had  not  impaired  the  appetite  of  the  king,  and 
that  he  ate  for  supper  that  night  "  six  cutlets,  a  considerable  portion  of  a 
fowl,  two  eggs,  and  drank  two  glasses  of  white  wine  and  one  of  Alicante 
wine,  and  forthwith  went  to  bed."f 

During  these  dreadful  hours  the  queen,  with  Madame  Elizabeth  and  the 
children,  were  in  a  state  of  agonizing  suspense,  not  even  knowing  but  that 
the  king  was  being  led  to  his  execution.  Clery,  however,  late  in  the  even- 
ing, went  to  their  room  and  informed  them  of  all  the  details  he  had  been 
able  to  gather  respecting  the  king's  examination. 
'  "  Has  any  mention  been  made  of  the  queen  ?"  asked  Madame  Elizabeth. 
"Her  name  was  not  mentioned,"  Clery  replied,   "in  the  act  of  accusation." 

"  Ah,"  rejoined  the  princess,  "  perhaps  they  demand  my  brother's  life  as 
necessary  for  their  safety ;  but  the  queen — these  poor  children — what  obsta- 
cle can  their  lives  present  to  their  ambition?"^ 


CHAPTER  XXXL 

EXECUTION   OF  LOUIS  XVI. 


Close  of  the  Examination. — The  King's  Counsel. — Heroism  of  Malesherbes. — Preparations  for 
Defense.— Gratitude  of  the  King. — The  Trial. — Protracted  Vote. — The  Result. — The  King 
solicits  the  Delay  of  Execution  for  three  Days. — Last  Interview  with  his  Family. — Preparation 
for  Death. — The  Execution. 

As  soon  as  the  king  had  withdrawn  from  the  Assembl}'',  that  body  was 
thrown  into  great  tumult  in  consequence  of  the  application  of  Louis  for  the 
assistance  of  counsel.  It  was,  however,  after  an  animated  debate,  which 
continued  until  the  next  day,  voted  that  the  request  of  the  king  should  be 
granted,  and  a  deputation  was  immediately  sent  to  inform  the  king  of  the 
vote,  and  to  ask  what  counsel  he  would  choose.  He  selected  two  of  the 
most  eminent  lawyers  of  Paris — M.  Tronchet  and  M.  Target.     Tronchet  he- 

*  Hist.  Pari.,  vol.  xxi.,  p.  314. 

t  Re'sume  du  Rapport  du  Commissaire  Albertier,  Hist.  Pari.,  vol.  xxi.,  p.  319. 


1792.]  EXECUTION  OF  LOUIS  XVI.  319 

roically  accepted  the  perilous  commission.  Target,  with  pusillanimity  which 
has  consigned  his  name  to  disgrace,  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Convention  stating 
that  his  principles  would  not  allow  him  to  undertake  the  defense  of  the 
king,*  The  venerable  Maleshcrbes,  then  seventy  years  of  age,  immediately 
w^rote  a  letter  to  the  president,  imploring  permission  to  assume  the  defense 
of  the  monarch.  This  distinguished  statesman,  a  friend  of  monarchy  and  a 
personal  friend  of  the  monarch,  had  been  living  in  the  retirement  of  his 
country-seat,  and  had  taken  no  part  in  the  Revolution.  By  permission  of 
the  Commune  he  was  conducted,  after  he  had  been  carefully  searched,  to  the 
Temple.  With  a  faltering  step  he  entered  the  prison  of  the  king.  Louis 
XVI.  was  seated  reading  Tacitus.  The  king  immediately  arose,  threw  his 
arms  around  Malesherbes  in  a  cordial  embrace,  and  said, 

"  Ah,  is  it  you,  my  friend !  In  what  a  situation  do  3^ou  find  me !  See  to 
w^hat  my  passion  for  the  amelioration  of  the  state  of  the  people,  w' horn  we 
have  both  loved  so  much,  has  reduced  me !  Why  do  you  come  hither  ? 
Your  devotion  only  endangers  your  life  and  can  not  save  mine." 

Malesherbes,  with  eyes  full  of  tears,  endeavored  to  cheer  the  king  with 
■  words  of  hope. 

"  No !"  replied  the  monarch,  sadly.  "  They  will  condemn  me,  for  they 
possess  both  the  power  and  the  will.  No  matter ;  let  us  occupy  ourselves 
with  the  cause  as  if  we  were  to  gain  it.  I  shall  gain  it  in  fact,  since  I  shall 
leave  no  stain  upon  my  memory." 

The  two  defenders  of  the  king  were  permitted  to  associate  with  them  a 
third,  M.  Deseze,  an  advocate  who  had  attained  much  renown  in  his  pro- 
fession. For  a  fortnight  they  were  employed  almost  night  and  day  in  pre- 
paring for  the  defense.  Malesherbes  came  every  morning  with  the  daily 
papers,  and  prepared  for  the  labors  of  the  evening.  At  five  o'clock  Tron- 
chet  and  Deseze  came,  and  they  all  worked  together  until  nine. 

In  the  mean  time  the  king  wrote  his  will ;  a  very  affecting  document, 
breathing  in  every  line  the  spirit  of  a  Christian.  He  also  succeeded  in  so 
far  eluding  the  vigilance  of  his  keepers  as  to  open  a  slight  correspondence 
with  his  family.  The  queen  pricked  a  message  with  a  pin  upon  a  scrap  of 
paper,  and  then  concealed  the  paper  in  a  ball  of  thread,  which  was  dropped 
into  a  drawer  in  the  kitchen,  where  Clery  took  it  and  conveyed  it  to  his 
master.  An  answer  was  returned  in  a  similar  way.  It  was  but  an  unsatis- 
factory correspondence  which  could  thus  be  carried  on  ;  but  even  this  was 
an  unspeakable  solace  to  the  captives. 

At  length  the  plan  of  defense  was  completed.  Malesherbes  and  the  king 
had  furnished  the  facts,  Tronchet  and  Deseze  had  woven  them  all  into  an 
exceedingly  eloquent  and  affecting  appeal.  Desdze  read  it  aloud  to  the 
king  and  his  associates.  The  pathetic  picture  he  drew  of  the  vicissitudes  of 
the  royal  family  was  so  touching  that  even  Malesherbes  and  Tronchet  could 
not  refrain  from  weeping,  and  tears  fell  from  the  eyes  of  the  king.     At  the 

*  Ono  of  Napoloon's  first  acts  upon  becoming  First  Consul  was  to  show  his  appreciation  of 
the  heroism  of  Tronchet  by  ])lacing  him  at  the  head  of  the  Court  of  Cassation.  "Tronchet,"  he 
said,  "was  the  soul  of  the  civil  code,  as  I  was  its  demonstrator.  He  was  piftcd  with  a  singularly 
profound  and  correct  imderstanding,  but  he  coiild  not  descend  to  dcvclo]inients.  He  spoke  badly, 
and  could  not  defend  what  he  proposed." — Napoleon  at  St.  Helena,  p.  192. 


320 


THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION. 


[Chap.  XXXI. 


close  of  the  reading,  the  king  turned  to  Deseze,  and,  in  the  spirit  of  true 
majesty  of  soul,  said, 

"  I  have  to  request  of  you  to  make  a  painful  sacrifice.  Strike  out  of  your 
pleading  the  peroration.  It  is  enough  for  me  to  appear  before  such  judges 
and  show  my  entire  innocence.     I  will  not  move  their  feelings."* 

Deseze  was  very  reluctant  to  accede  to  this  request,  but  was  constrained 
to  yield.  After  Tronchet  and  Deseze  had  retired  that  night,  the  king,  left 
alone  with  Malesherbes,  seemed  to  be  troubled  with  some  engrossing  thought. 
At  last  he  said, 

"  I  have  now  a  new  source  of  regret.  Deseze  and  Tronchet  owe  me  noth- 
ing. They  devote  to  me  their  time,  exertions,  and  perhaps  their  life.  How 
can  I  requite  them  ?  I  possess  nothing ;  and  were  I  to  leave  them  a  legacy 
it  would  not  be  paid ;  besides,  what  fortune  could  repay  such  a  debt?" 


LOUIS  XVI.    AND  MALESHEEIiES. 


"  Sire,"  replied  Malesherbes,  "  their  consciences  and  posterity  will  reward 
them.  But  it  is  in  your  power  to  grant  them  a  favor  they  will  esteem  more 
than  all  those  you  had  it  in  your  power  to  bestow  upon  them  formerly." 

"What  is  it?"  added  the  king. 

"  Sire,  embrace  them,"  Malesherbes  replied. 

The  next  day,  when  they  entered  his  chamber,  the  king  approached  them 
and  pressed  each  to  his  heart  in  silence.  This  touching  testimonial  of  the 
king's  gratitude,  and  of  his  impoverishment,  was  to  the  noble  hearts  of  these 
noble  men  an  ample  remuneration  for  all  their  toil  and  peril. 

The  26th  of  December  had  now  arrived,  the  day  appointed  for  the  final 
trial.  At  an  early  hour  all  Paris  was  in  commotion,  and  the  whole  military 
force  of  the  metropolis  was  again  marshaled.  The  sublimity  of  the  occasion 
seemed  to  have  elevated  the  character  of  the  king  to  unusual  dignity.    He 

♦  liacreteUe. 


1792.]  EXECUTION  OF  LOUIS  XVI.  321 

was  neatly  dressed,  bis  beard  sliavcd,  and  bis  features  were  serene  and  al- 
most majestic  in  tbeir  expression  of  imperturbable  resignation.  As  be  rode 
in  tbe  carriage  witb  Cbambon,  tbe  mayor,  and  Santerre,  tbe  commander  of 
tbe  National  Guard,  be  conversed  cbeerfully  upon  a  variety  of  topics.  San- 
terre, regardless  of  tbe  etiquette  wbicb  did  not  allow  a  subject  to  wear  bis 
bat  in  tbe  presence  of  bis  monarcb,  sat  witb  bis  bat  on,  Tbe  king  turned 
to  bim,  and  said,  witb  a  smile, 

"  Tbe  last  time,  sir,  you  conveyed  me  to  tbe  Temple,  in  your  burry  you 
forgot  your  bat ;  and  now,  I  perceive,  you  are  determined  to  make  up  for 
tbe  omission." 

On  entering  tbe  Convention  tbe  king  took  bis  seat  by  the  side  of  bis  coun- 
sel, and  listened  witb  intense  interest  to  tbe  reading  of  bis  defense,  watcbing 
tbe  countenances  of  bis  judges  to  see  tbe  effect  it  was  producing  upon  tbeir 
minds.  Occasionally  be  wbispered,  and  even  witb  a  smile,  to  Malesberbes 
and  Troncbet.     Tbe  Convention  received  tbe  defense  in  profound  silence. 

Tbe  defense  consisted  of  tbree  leading  divisions.  First,  it  was  argued 
tbat  by  tbe  Constitution  tbe  king  was  inviolable,  and  not  responsible  for  tbe 
acts  of  tbe  crown — tbat  tbe  Ministers  alone  were  responsible.  He  secondly 
argued  tbat  tbe  Convention  bad  no  rigbt  to  try  tbe  king,  for  tbe  Convention 
were  bis  accusers,  and,  consequently,  could  not  act  as  bis  judges.  Tbirdly, 
wbile  protesting,  as  above,  tbe  inviolability  of  tbe  king,  and  tbe  invalidity 
of  tbe  Convention  to  judge  bim,  be  tben  proceeded  to  tbe  discussion  of  tbe 
individual  cbarges.  Some  of  tbe  charges  were  triumphantly  repelled,  par- 
ticularly tbat  of  shedding  French  blood  on  the  lOtb  of  August.  It  was 
clearly  proved  that  the  people,  not  Louis  XVI.,  were  tbe  aggressors.  As 
soon  as  Deseze  bad  finished  his  defense,  tbe  king  himself  rose  and  said,  in  a 
few  words  which  he  had  w^ritten  and  committed  to  memory, 

"  You  have  heard  the  grounds  of  my  defense.  I  shall  not  repeat  them. 
In  addressing  you,  perhaps  for  tbe  last  time,  I  declare  tbat  my  conscience 
reproaches  me  witb  nothing,  and  that  my  defenders  have  told  you  the  truth. 
I  have  never  feared  to  have  my  public  conduct  scrutinized.  But  I  am 
grieved  to  find  that  I  am  accused  of  wishing  to  shed  the  blood  of  my  people, 
and  that  the  misfortunes  of  the  10th  of  August  are  laid  to  my  charge.  I 
confess  tbat  the  numerous  proofs  I  have  always  given  of  my  love  for  the 
people  ought  to  have  placed  me  above  this  reproach." 

He  resumed  his  seat.  The  President  then  asked  if  be  bad  any  thing  more 
to  say.  He  declared  he  had  not,  and  retired  with  bis  counsel  fiom  tbe  ball. 
As  be  was  conducted  back  to  tbe  Temple,  be  conversed  witb  tbe  same  se- 
renity be  bad  manifested  throughout  tbe  whole  day.  It  was  five  o'clock, 
and  tbe  gloom  of  night  was  descending  upon  tbe  city  as  be  re-entered  bis 
prison. 

No  sooner  bad  the  king  left  the  ball  than  a  violent  tumult  of  debate  com- 
menced, which  was  continued,  day  after  day,  witb  a  constant  succession  of 
eager,  agitated  speakers  hurrying  to  the  tribune,  for  twelve  days.  Some 
were  in  ^vQr  of  an  immediate  judgment,  some  were  for  referring  tbe  ques- 
■^■on  to  me  people  ;  some  demanded  the  death  of  tbe  king,  others  imprison- 
ment or  exile.  On  the  7th  of  January  all  seemed  weary  of  these  endless 
speeches,  and  tbe  endless  repetition  of  tbe  same  arguments.     Still,  there 

X 


322  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXT, 

were  many  clamorous  to  be  heard  ;  and,  after  a  violent  contest,  it  was  voted 
that  the  decisive  measure  should  be  postponed  for  a  week  longer,  and  that 
on  the  14th  of  January  the  question  should  be  taken. 

The  fatal  day  arrived.  It  was  decreed  that  the  subject  should  be  pre- 
sented to  the  Convention  in  the  three  following  questions :  First^  Is  Louis 
guilty?-  Second,  Shall  the  decision  of  the  Convention  be  submitted  to  the 
ratification  of  the  people  ?  The  whole  of  the  15th  was  occupied  in  taking 
these  two  votes.  Louis  was  unanimously  pronounced  to  be  guilty,  with  the 
exception  of  ten  who  refused  to  vote,  declaring  themselves  incapable  of  act- 
ing both  as  accusers  and  judges.  On  the  question  of  an  appeal  to  the  people^ 
281  voices  were  for  it,  -123  against  it.*  And  now  came  the  third  great  and 
solemn  question,  What  shall  be  the  sentence  ?  Each  member  was  required 
to  write  his  vote,  sign  it,  and  then,  before  depositing  it,  to  ascend  the  tribune 
and  give  it  audibly,  with  any  remarks  which  he  might  wish  to  add. 

The  voting  commenced  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  the  16th,  and 
continued  all  night,  and  without  any  interruption,  for  twenty-four  hours. 
All  Paris  was  during  the  time  in  the  highest  state  of  excitement,  the  gal- 
leries of  the  Convention  being  crowded  to  suffocation.  Some  voted  for 
death,  others  for  imprisonment  until  peace  with  allied  Europe,  and  then 
banishment.  Others  voted  for  death,  with  the  restriction  that  the  execution 
should  be  delayed.  They  wished  to  save  the  king,  and  yet  feared  the  accu- 
sation of  being  Royalists  if  they  did  not  vote  for  his  death.  The  Jacobins 
all  voted  for  death.  They  had  accused  their  opponents,  the  Girondists,  of 
being  secretly  in  favor  of  royality,  and  as  such  had  held  them  up  to  the  exe- 
cration of  the  mob.  The  Girondists  wished  to  save  the  king.  It  was  in 
their  power  to  save  him.  But  it  required  more  courage,  both  moral  and 
physical,  than  ordinary  men  possess,  to  brave  the  vengeance  of  the  assassins 
of  September  who  were  hovering  around  the  hall. 

It  was  pretty  well  understood  in  the  Convention  that  the  fate  of  the  king 
depended  upon  the  Girondist  vote,  and  it  was  not  doubted  that  the  party 
would  vote  as  did  their  leader.  It  was  a  moment  of  fearful  solemnity  when 
Vergniaud  ascended  the  tribune.  Breathless  silence  pervaded  the  Assembly. 
Every  eye  was  fixed  upon  him.  His  countenance  was  jjallid  as  that  of  a 
corpse.  For  a  moment  he  paused,  with  downcast  eyes,  as  if  hesitating  to 
pronounce  the  dreadful  word.  Then,  in  a  gloomy  tone  which  thrilled  the 
hearts  of  all  present,  he  said,  Death.f  Nearly  all  the  Girondists  voted  for 
death,  with  the  restriction  of  delaying  the  execution.     Many  of  the  purest 

*  Lamartinc,  History  of  the  Girondists,  vol.  ii.,  p.  342. 

t  "The  crowd  in  the  galleries  received  with  murmurs  all  votes  that  were  not  for  death,  and 
they  frequently  addressed  threatening  gestures  to  the  Assembly  itself.  The  deputies  replied  to 
them  from  the  interior  of  the  hall,  and  hence  resulted  a  tumultuous  exchange  of  menaces  and 
abusive  epithets.  This  fearfully  ominous  scene  had  shaken  all  minds  and  changed  many  resolu- 
tions. Vergniaud,  who  had  appeared  deeply  affected  by  the  fate  of  Louis  XVI.,  and  who  had 
declared  to  his  friends  that  he  never  could  condemn  that  unfortunate  prince,  Vergniaud,  on  be- 
holding this  tumultuous  scene,  imagined  that  he  saw  civil  war  kindled  in  France,  and  i)ronounced 
sentence  of  death,  with  the  addition,  however,  of  Mailhe's  amendment  (which  required  that  the 
execution  should  be  delayed).  On  being  questioned  res))ecting  his  change  of  opinion,  he  replied 
that  he  thought  he  saw  civil  war  on  the  jjoint  of  breaking  out,  and  that  he  diu-st  not  balance  the 
life  of  an  individual  against  the  welfare  of  France." — Theim's  History  0/  the  French  Revolution, 
vol.  ii.,  p.  G8. 


-j^ygg  ]  EXECUTION  OF  LOUIS  XVI.  323 

men  in  the  nation  thus  voted,  with  emotions  of  sadness  which  could  not  be 
repressed.  The  noble  Cainot  gave  his  vote  in  the  following  terms  :  Death ; 
and  never  did  word  weigh  so  heavily  on  my  heart." 

AVhen  the  Duke  of  Orleans  was  called,  deep  sUence  ensued.  He  was 
cousin  of  the  king,  and  first  prince  of  the  blood.  By  birth  and  opulence  he 
stood  on  the  highest  pinnacle  of  aristocratic  supremacy.  Conscious  ot  peri^ 
he  had  for  a  long  time  done  every  thing  in  his  power  to  conciliate  the  mob 
by  adopting  the  most  radical  of  Jacobin  opinions.  The  Duke,  bloated  with 
the  debaucheries  which  had  disgraced  his  life,  ascended  the  steps  slowly,  un- 
folded a  paper,  and  read  in  heartless  tones  these  words : 

"  Solely  occupied  with  my  duty,  convinced  that  all  who  have  attempted, 
or  shall  attempt  hereafter,  the  sovereignty  of  the  people,  merit  death,  I  vote 

°  The  atrocity  of  this  act  excited  the  abhorrence  of  the  Assembly,  and  loud 
murmurs  of  disapprobation  followed  the  prince  to  his  seat.  Even  Kobes- 
pierre  despised  his  pusillanimity,  and  said, 

"The  miserable  man  was  only  required  to  listen  to  his  own  heart,  and 
make  himself  an  exception.  But  he  would  not  or  dare  not  do  so.  The  na- 
tion would  have  been  more  magnanimous  than  he."'^ 

At  length  the  long  scrutiny  was  over,  and  Vergniaud,  who  had  presided, 
rose  to  announce  the  result.  He  was  pale  as  death,  and  it  was  observed  that 
not  only  his  voice  faltered,  but  that  his  whole  frame  trembled. 

"  Citizens,"  said  he,  "  you  are  about  to  exercise  a  great  act  of  justice,  i 
hope  humanity  will  enjoin  you  to  keep  the  most  perfect  silence.  When  jus- 
tice has  spoken  humanity  ought  to  be  listened  to  m  its  turn." 

He  then  read  the  results  of  the  vote.  There  were  seven  hundred  and 
twenty-one  voters  in  the  Convention.  Three  hundred  and  thirty-four  voted 
for  imprisonment  or  exile,  three  hundred  and  eighty-seven  for  death,  mclud- 
ino-  those  who  voted  that  the  execution  should  be  delayed.  Thus  the  ma- 
iority  for  death  was  fifty-three;  but  as  of  these  forty-six  demanded  a  sus- 
pension of  the  execution,  there  remained  but  a  majority  of  seven  for  mime- 
diate  death.  Having  read  this  result, Vergniaud,  in  a  sorrowful  tone,  said 
"  I  declare,  in  the  name  of  the  Convention,  that  the  pumshmcnt  pronounced 
against  Louis  Capet  is  death."t 

*  "  Robespierre  was  bv  no  means  the  worst  charactor  who  figured  in  the  Tlovohxtion  He  op- 
posed trying  the  queen.  "  He  was  not  an  atheist ;  on  the  contrary,  he  had  pub  holy  "->«^;-;d  he 
cxistenee  o?  a  Supreme  Being,  in  opposition  to  many  of  his  colleagues.  Nenher  -- he  «/  «P  "- 
ion  that  it  was  necessary  to  exterminate  all  priests  and  nobles,  hke  many  others.  Robespxerre 
wanted  to  proclaim  the  king  an  outlaw,  and  not  to  go  through  the  rulaulous  mockery  of  try  ng 
him.  Robespierre  was  a  fanatic,  a  monster  ;  but  he  was  incorruptible,  and  mcapab  e  of  robb  ng 
or  of  causing  the  deaths  of  others,  either  from  personal  enmity  or  a  desire  of  enmlnng  himself 
He  was  an  enthusiast,  but  one  who  really  belieyed  that  he  was  acting  right,  and  died  not  «oith  a 
son.     In  some  respects  Robespierre  may  be  said  to  have  been  an  honest  man.   -i\aj,okon  at  bt. 

t'^'^Of 'those  who  iudced  the  king  many  thought  him  willfully  criminal ;  many  that  his  exist- 
ence would  keep  the'  nation  in  perpetual  conflict  with  the  horde  of  kings  who  would  war  against 
a  generation  which  might  come  home  to  themsehes,  and  that  it  were  better  that  one  should  die 
than  all.  I  should  not  have  yoted  with  this  portion  of  the  Legislature.  I  should  have  shut  up 
the  queen  in  a  convent,  putting  harm  out  of  her  power,  and  placed  the  king  in  hus  station,  mvest- 
ing  him  with  limited  powers,  which  I  verily  believe  he  would  honestly  have  exercised,  according 
to  the  measure  of  his  understandiug."-77iomas  Jefferson,  Life  by  Randall,  vol.  i.,  p.  533.  There 
were  obviously  insuperable  objections  to  the  plan  thus  suggested  by  Mr.  Jeflersoii. 


324  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXI. 

The  counsel  of  Louis  XVI.,  who,  during  the  progress  of  the  vote,  had 
urged  permission  to  speak,  but  were  refused,  were  now  introduced.  In  the 
name  of  the  king,  Deseze  appealed  to  the  people  from  the  judgment  of  the 
Convention,  He  urged  the  appeal  from  the  very  small  majority  which  had 
decided  the  penalty.  Tronchet  urged  that  the  penal  code  required  a  vote 
of  two  thirds  to  consign  one  to  punishment,  and  that  the  king  ought  not  to 
be  deprived  of  a  privilege  which  every  subject  enjoyed.  Malesherbes  en- 
deavored to  speak,  but  was  so  overcome  with  emotion  that,  violently  sob- 
bing, he  was  unable  to  continue  his  speech,  and  was  compelled  to  sit  down. 
His  gray  hairs  and  his  tears  so  moved  the  Assembly  that  Vergniaud  rose, 
and,  addressing  the  Assembly,  said,  "  Will  you  decree  the  honors  of  the  sit- 
ting to  the  defenders  of  Louis  XVI.  ?"  The  unanimous  response  was,  "  Yes, 
yes." 

It  was  now  late  at  night,  and  the  Convention  adjourned.  The  whole  of 
the  18th  and  the  19th  were  occupied  in  discussing  the  question  of  the  appeal 
to  the  people.  On  the  20th,  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  final  vote 
was  taken.  Three  hundred  and  ten  voted  to  sustain  the  appeal ;  three  hund- 
red and  eighty  for  immediate  death.  All  the  efforts  to  save  the  king  were 
now  exhausted,  and  his  fate  was  sealed.  A  deputation  was  immediately  ap- 
pointed, headed  by  Garat,  Minister  of  Justice,  to  acquaint  Louis  XVI.  with 
the  decree  of  the  Convention. 

At  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  20th,  Louis  heard  the  noise  of  a  nu- 
merous party  ascending  the  steps  of  the  tower.  As  they  entered  his  apart- 
ment he  rose  and  stepped  forward  with  perfect  calmness  and  dignity  to  meet 
them.  The  decree  of  the  Convention  was  read  to  the  king,  declaring  him  to 
be  guilty  of  treason,  that  he  was  condemned  to  death,  that  the  appeal  to  the 
people  was  refused,  and  that  he  was  to  be  executed  within  twenty -four  hours. 

The  king  listened  to  the  reading  unmoved,  took  the  paper  from  the  hands 
of  the  secretary,  folded  it  carefully,  and  placed  it  in  his  port-folio.  Then 
turning  to  Garat,  he  handed  him  a  paper,  saying, 

"Monsieur  Minister  of  Justice, I  request  you  to  deliver  this  letter  to  the 
Convention." 

Garat  hesitated  to  take  the  paper,  and  the  king  immediately  rejoined,  "  I 
will  read  it  to  you,"  and  read,  in  a  distinct,  unfaltering  voice,  as  follows : 

"  I  demand  of  the  Convention  a  delay  of  three  days,  in  order  to  prepare 
myself  to  appear  before  God.  I  require,  farther,  to  see  freely  the  priest  whom 
I  shall  name  to  the  commissaries  of  the  Commune,  and  that  he  be  protected 
in  the  act  of  charity  which  he  shall  exercise  toward  me.  I  demand  to  be 
freed  from  the  perpetual  surveillance  which  has  been  exercised  toward  me 
for  so  many  days.  I  demand,  during  these  last  moments,  leave  to  see  my 
family,  when  I  desire  it,  without  witnesses.  I  desire  most  earnestly  that  the 
Convention  will  at  once  take  into  consideration  the  fate  of  my  family,  and 
that  they  be  allowed  immediately  to  retire  unmolested  whithersoever  they 
shall  see  fit  to  choose  an  asylum.  I  recommend  to  the  kindness  of  the  na- 
tion all  the  persons  attached  to  me.  There  are  among  them  many  old  men, 
and  women,  and  children,  who  are  entirely  dependent  upon  me,  and  must 
be  in  want." 

The  delegation  retired.     The  king,  with  a  firm  step,  walked  two  or  three 


1793.]  EXECUTION  OF  LOUIS  XVI.  325 

times  up  and  down  his  chamber,  and  then  called  for  his  dinner.  He  sat 
down  and  ate  with  his  usual  appetite ;  but  his  attendants  refused  to  let  him 
have  either  knife  or  fork,  and  he  was  furnished  only  with  a  spoon.  This  ex- 
cited his  indignation,  and  he  said,  warmly, 

"  Do  they  think  that  I  am  such  a  coward  as  to  lay  violent  hands  upon 
myself?     I  am  innocent,  and  I  shall  die  fearlessly." 

Having  finished  his  repast,  he  waited  patiently  for  the  return  of  the  an- 
swer from  the  Convention.  At  six  o'clock,  Garat,  accompanied  by  Santerre, 
entered  again.  The  Convention  refused  the  delay  of  execution  which  Louis 
XVI.  had  solicited,  but  granted  the  other  demands. 

In  a  few  moments  M.  Edgeworth,  the  ecclesiastic  who  had  been  sent  for, 
arrived.  He  entered  the  chamber,  and,  overwhelmed  with  emotion,  fell  at 
the  monarch's  feet  and  burst  into  tears.  The  king,  deeply  moved,  also  wept, 
and,  as  he  raised  M.  Edgeworth,  said, 

"  Pardon  me  this  momentary  weakness.  I  have  lived  so  long  among  my 
enemies  that  habit  has  rendered  me  indifferent  to  their  hatred,  and  my  heart 
has  been  closed  against  all  sentiments  of  tenderness ;  but  the  sight  of  a  faith- 
ful friend  restores  to  me  my  sensibility,  which  I  believed  dead,  and  moves 
me  to  tears  in  spite  of  myself" 

The  king  conversed  earnestly  with  his  spiritual  adviser  respecting  his  will, 
which  he  read,  and  inquired  earnestly  for  kis  friends,  whose  sufferings  moved 
his  heart  deeply.  The  hour  of  seven  had  now  arrived,  when  the  king  was 
to  hold  his  last  interview  with  his  family.  But  even  this  could  not  be  in 
private.  He  was  to  be  watched  by  his  jailers,  who  were  to  hear  every  word 
and  witness  every  gesture.  The  door  opened,  and  the  queen,  pallid  and 
woe-stricken,  entered,  leading  her  son  by  the  hand.  She  threw  herself  into 
the  arms  of  her  husband,  and  silently  endeavored  to  draw  him  toward  her 
chamber. 

"No,  no,"  whispered  the  king,  clasping  her  to  his  heart;  "I  can  see  you 
only  here.". 

Madame  Elizabeth,  with  the  king's  daughter,  followed.  A  scene  of  an- 
guish ensued  which  neither  pen  nor  pencil  can  portray.  The  king  sat  down, 
with  the  queen  upon  his  right  hand,  his  sister  upon  his  left,  their  arms  en- 
circling his  neck,  and  their  heads  resting  upon  his  breast.  The  dauphin  sat 
upon  his  father's  knee,  with  his  arm  around  his  neck.  The  beautiful  prin- 
cess, with  disheveled  hair,  threw  herself  between  her  father's  knees,  and  bur- 
ied her  face  in  his  lap.  More  than  half  an  hour  passed  during  which  not  an 
articulate  word  was  spoken ;  but  cries,  groans,  and  occasional  shrieks  of  an- 
guish, which  pierced  even  the  thick  walls  of  the  Temple  and  were  heard  in 
the  streets,  rose  from  the  group. 

For  two  hours  the  agonizing  interview  was  continued.  As  they  gradual- 
ly regained  some  little  composure,  in  low  tones  they  whispered  messages  of 
tenderness  and  love,  interrupted  by  sobs,  and  kisses,  and  blinding  floods  of 
tears.  It  was  now  after  nine  o'clock,  and  in  the  morning  the  king  was  to  be 
led  to  the  guillotine.  The  queen  implored  permission  for  them  to  remain 
with  him  through  the  night.  The  king,  through  tenderness  for  his  family, 
declined,  but  promised  to  see  them  again  at  seven  o'clock  the  next  morning. 
As  the  king  accompanied  them  to  the  stair-case  their  cries  were  redoubled, 


326 


THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION. 


[Chap.  XXXI. 


''^iiilii;i[i!i!ll|i!'!:,„ 


LAST   INTERVIEW  ItETWEEN    LOUIS   XVI.    AND   Ulb   1A.MILY. 


and  the  princess  fainted  in  utter  unconsciousness  at  her  father's  feet.  The 
queen,  Madame  Ehzabeth,  and  Clery  carried  her  to  the  stairs,  and  the  king 
returned  to  the  room,  and,  burying  his  face  in  his  hands,  sank,  exhausted,  into 
a  chair.     After  a  long  silence  he  turned  to  M.  Edgeworth  and  said, 

"  Ah !  monsieur,  what  an  interview  I  have  had !  Why  do  I  love  so  fond- 
ly ?  Alas !  why  am  I  so  fondly  loved  ?  But  we  have  now  done  with  time. 
Let  us  occupy  ourselves  with  eternity." 

The  king  passed  some  time  in  religious  conversation  and  prayer,  and,  hav- 
ing arranged  with  M.  Edgeworth  to  partake  of  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  in  the  earliest  hours  of  the  morning,  at  midnight  threw  himself  upon 
his  bed,  and  almost  immediately  fell  into  a  calm  and  refreshing  sleep. 

The  faithful  Clery  and  M.  Edgeworth  watched  at  the  bedside  of  the  king. 
At  five  o'clock  they  woke  him.  "lias  it  struck  five?"  inquired  the  king. 
"Not  yet  by  the  clock  of  the  tower,"  Clery  replied;  "but  several  of  the 
clocks  of  the  city  have  struck."  "  I  have  slept  soundly,"  remarked  the  king. 
"  I  was  much  fatigued  yesterday." 

He  immediately  arose.  An  altar  had  been  prepared  in  the  middle  of  the 
room  composed  of  a  chest  of  drawers,  and  the  king,  after  engaging  earnestly 
in  prayer,  received  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  Then  leading  Clery 
into  the  recess  of  a  window,  he  detached  from  his  watch  a  seal,  and  took 
from  his  finger  a  wedding-ring,  and  handing  them  to  Clery,  said, 

"  After  my  death  you  will  give  this  seal  to  my  son,  this  ring  to  the  queen. 
Tell  her  I  resign  it  with  pain  that  it  may  not  be  profened  with  my  body. 
This  small  parcel  contains  locks  of  hair  of  all  my  family :  that  you  will  give 
her.     Say  to  the  queen,  my  dear  children,  and  my  sister,  that  I  had  prom- 


1798.]  EXECUTION  OF  LOUIS  XVI.  327 

ised  to  see  them  this  morning,  but  that  I  desired  to  spare  them  the  agony  of 
such  a  bitter  separation  twice  over.  IIow  much  it  has  cost  me  to  depart 
without  receiving  their  last  embraces !" 

He  could  say  no  more,  for  sobs  choked  his  utterance.  Soon  recovering 
himself,  he  called  for  scissors,  and  cut  off  his  long  hair,  that  he  might  escape 
the  humiliation  of  having  that  done  by  the  executioner. 

A  few  beams  of  daylight  began  now  to  penetrate  the  gloomy  prison 
through  the  grated  windows,  and  the  beating  of  drums,  and  the  rumbling 
of  the  wheels  of  heavy  artillery  were  heard  in  the  streets.  The  king  turned 
to  his  confessor,  and  said, 

"  How  happy  I  am  that  I  maintained  my  faith  on  the  throne !  Where 
should  I  be  this  day  but  for  this  hope  ?  Yes,  there  is  on  high  a  Judge,  in- 
corruptible, who  will  award  to  mc  that  measure  of  justice  which  men  refuse 
to  me  here  below." 

Two  hours  passed  away,  while  the  king  listened  to  the  gathering  of  the 
troops  in  the  court-3'ard  and  around  the  Temple.  At  nine  o'clock  a  tumult- 
uous noise  was  heard  of  men  ascending  the  stair-case.  Santerre  entered,  with 
twelve  municipal  officers  and  ten  gens  d'armes.  The  king,  with  command- 
ing voice  and  gesture,  pointed  Santerre  to  the  door,  and  said, 

"  You  have  come  for  me.  I  will  be  with  you  in  an  instant.  Await  me 
there," 

Falling  upon  his  knees,  he  engaged  a  moment  in  prayer,  and  then,  turn- 
ing to  M.  Edgeworth,  said, 

"  All  is  consummated.  Give  me  your  blessing,  and  pray  to  God  to  sus- 
tain me  to  the  end." 

He  rose,  and  taking  from  the  table  a  paper  which  contained  his  last  will 
and  testament,  addressed  one  of  the  municipal  guard,  saying,  "I  beg  of  you 
to  transmit  this  paper  to  the  queen."  The  man,  whose  name  was  Jacques 
Eoux,  brutally  replied,  "  I  am  here  to  conduct  you  to  the  scaffold,  not  to  per- 
form 3'our  commissions." 

"  True,"  said  the  king,  in  a  saddened  tone,  but  without  the  slightest  ap- 
pearance of  irritation.  Then  carefully  scanning  the  countenances  of  each 
member  of  the  guard,  he  selected  one  w^hose  features  expressed  humanity, 
and  solicited  him  to  take  charge  of  the  paper.  The  man,  whose  name  was 
Gobeau,  took  the  paper. 

The  king,  declining  the  cloak  which  Clery  offered  him,  said,  "Give  me 
only  my  hat."  Then,  taking  the  hand  of  Clery,  he  pressed  it  affectionately 
in  a  final  adieu,  and,  turning  to  Santerre,  said,  "Let  us  go."  Descending 
the  stairs  with  a  firm  tread,  followed  by  the  armed  escort,  he  met  a  turnkey 
whom  he  had  the  evening  before  reproached  for  some  impertinence.  The 
king  approached  him  and  said,  in  tones  of  kindness, 

"  Mathey,  I  was  somewhat  warm  with  you  yesterday ;  excuse  me  for  the 
sake  of  this  hour." 

As  he  crossed  the  court-yard,  he  twice  turned  to  look  up  at  the  windows 
of  the  queen's  apartment  in  the  tower,  where  those  so  dear  to  him  were  suf- 
fering the  utmost  anguish  which  human  hearts  can  endure.  Two  gens 
d'armes  sat  upon  the  front  scat  of  the  carriage.  The  king  and  M.  Edge- 
worth  took  the  back  seat.     The  morning  was  damp  and  chill,  and  gloomy 


328 


THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION. 


[Chap.  XXXI. 


clouds  darkened  the  sky.  Sixty  drums  were  beating  at  the  heads  of  the 
horses,  and  an  army  of  troops,  with  all  the  most  formidable  enginery  of 
war,  preceded,  surrounded,  and  followed  the  carriage.  The  noise  of  the 
drums  prevented  any  conversation,"  and  the  king  sat  in  silence  in  the  car- 
riage, evidently  engaged  in  prayer.  The  procession  moved  so  slowly  along 
the  Boulevards  that  it  was  two  hours  before  they  reached  the  Place  de  la 
Kevolution.  An  immense  crowd  filled  the  place,  above  whom  towered  the 
lofty  platform  and  blood-red  posts  of  the  guillotine. 

As  the  carriage  stopped  the  king  whispered  to  M.  Edge  worth,  "  We  have 


xxzoimoM  OF  Luum  xvi. 


1793.]  EXECUTION  OF  LOUIS  XVI.  329 

arrived,  if  I  mistake  not."  The  drums  ceased  beating,  and  the  whole  mul- 
titude gazed  in  the  most  solemn  silence.  The  two  gens  d'armes  alighted. 
The  king  placed  his  hand  upon  the  knee  of  the  heroic  ecclesiastic,  M.  Edge- 
worth,  and  said  to  the  gens  d'armes, 

"  Gentlemen,  I  recommend  to  your  care  this  gentleman.  Let  him  not  be 
insulted  after  my  death.     I  entreat  you  to  watch  over  him," 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  one,  contemptuously ;  "  make  your  mind  easy,  we  will 
take  care  of  him.     Let  us  alone." 

Louis  alighted.  Two  of  the  executioners  came  to  the  foot  of  the  scaffold 
to  take  off  his  coat.  The  king  waved  them  away,  and  himself  took  off  his 
coat  and  cravat,  and  turned  down  the  collar  of  his  shirt,  that  his  throat 
might  be  presented  bare  to  the  knife.  They  then  came  with  cords  to  bind 
his  hands  behind  his  back. 

"  What  do  you  wish  to  do?"  said  the  king,  indignantly. 

"Bind  you,"  they  replied,  as  they  seized  his  hands,  and  endeavored  to 
fasten  them  with  the  cords. 

"Bind  me!"  replied  the  king,  in  tones  of  deepest  feeling.  "No,  no;  I 
will  never  consent.     Do  your  business,  but  3-ou  shall  not  bind  me." 

The  executioners  seized  him  rudely,  and  called  for  help.  "Sire,"  said 
his  Christian  adviser,  "suffer  this  outrage,  as  a  last  resemblance  to  that 
God  who  is  about  to  be  your  reward." 

"Assuredly,"  replied  the  king,  "there  needed  nothing  less  than  the  ex- 
ample of  God  to  make  me  submit  to  such  an  indignity."  Then,  holding  out 
his  hands  to  the  executioners,  he  said,  "  Do  as  you  will !  I  will  drink  the 
cup  to  the  dregs." 

With  a  firm  tread  he  ascended  the  steep  steps  of  the  scaffold,  looked  for  a 
moment  upon  the  keen  and  polished  edge  of  the  axe,  and  then,  turning  to 
the  vast  throng,  said,  in  a  voice  clear  and  untremulous, 

"  People,  I  die  innocent  of  all  the  crimes  imputed  to  me !  I  pardon  the 
authors  of  my  death,  and  pray  to  God  that  the  blood  you  are  about  to  shed 
may  not  fall  again  on  France." 

He  would  have  continued,  but  the  drums  were  ordered  to  beat,  and  his 
voice  was  immediately  drowned.  The  executioners  seized  him,  bound  him 
to  the  plank,  the  slide  fell,  and  the  head  of  Louis  XVI.  dropped  into  the 
basket. 

No  one  has  had  a  better  opportunity  of  ascertaining  the  true  character  of 
tlie  king  than  President  Jefferson.  Speaking  of  some  of  the  king's  measures 
he  said,  "  These  concessions  came  from  the  very  heart  of  the  king.  He 
had  not  a  wish  but  for  the  good  of  the  nation ;  and  for  that  object  no  per- 
sonal sacrifice  would  ever  have  cost  him  a  moment's  regret ;  but  his  mind 
was  weakness  itself,  his  constitution  timid,  his  judgment  null,  and  without 
suffiicient  firmness  even  to  stand  by  the  faith  of  his  word.  His  queen,  too, 
haught}^  and  bearing  no  contradiction,  had  an  absolute  ascendency  over 
him;  and  round  her  were  rallied  the  king's  brother,  D'Artois,  the  court 
generally,  and  the  aristocratic  part  of  his  ministers,  particularly  Breteuil, 
Broglio,  Vauguyon,  Foulon,  Luzerne — men  whose  principles  of  government 
were  those  of  the  age  of  Louis  XFV.  Against  this  host,  the  good  counsels 
of  Necker,  ^routniorin,  St.  Priest,  although  in  unison  with  the  wishes  of 
Vol.  11.— D 


330 


THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION. 


[Chap.  XXXI. 

the  king  liimself,  were  of  little  avail.  The  resolutions  of  the  morning, 
formed  under  their  advice,  would  be  reversed  in  the  evening  by  the  influ- 
ence of  the  queen  and  the  court." 

The  Royalists  were  exceedingly  exasperated  by  the  condemnation  of  the 
king.  A  noble,  Lepelletier  St.  Fargeau,  who  had  espoused  the  popular 
cause,  voted  for  the  king's  death.  The  Royalists  were  peculiarly  excited 
against  him,  in  consequence  of  his  rank  and  fortune.  On  the  evening  of 
the  20th  of  January,  as  Louis  was  being  informed  of  his  sentence,  a  life- 
guardsman  of  the  king  tracked  Lepelletier  into  a  restaurateur's  in  the  Palais 
Royal,  and,  just  as  he  was  sitting  down  to  the  table,  stepped  up  to  him  and 
said, 

"Art  thou  Lepelletier,  the  villain  who  voted  for  the  death  of  the  king?" 

"Yes,"  replied  Lepelletier,  "but  I  am  not  a  villain.  I  voted  according 
to  my  conscience." 

"There,  then,"  rejoined  the  life-guardsman,  "take  that  for  thy  reward," 
and  he  plunged  his  sword  to  the  hilt  in  his  side.  Lepelletier  fell  dead,  and 
his  assassin  escaped  before  they  had  time  to  arrest  him. 

This  event  created  intense  excitement,  and  increased  the  conviction  that 
the  Royalists  had  conspired  to  rescue  the  king,  by  force  of  arms,  at  the  foot 
of  the  scaffold. 


ASSABBXNATION  OF  LEFELLETHEB  DK  BT.  FABOEAIT. 


1793.]  THE  KEIGN  OF  TERROR.  331 


CHAPTER  XXXn. 

THE    REIGN    OF    TERROR. 

Charges  against  the  Girondists. — Danton. — The  French  Embassador  ordered  to  leave  England. 
— War  declared  against  England. — Navy  of  England. — Internal  War.— Plot  to  assassinate 
the  Girondists. — Bold  Words  of  Vergniaud.— Insurrection  in  La  Vende'e. — Conflict  between 
Dumouriez  and  the  Assembly. — Flight  of  Dumouriez. — The  Mob  aroused  and  the  Girondists 
arrested. — Charlotte  Corday.— France  rises  en  masse  to  repel  the  Allies. — The  treasonable 
Surrender  of  Toulon. 

The  execution  of  the  king  roused  all  Europe  against  republican  France. 
The  Jacobins  had  gained  a  decisive  victory  over  the  Girondists,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  turning  popular  hatred  against  them  by  accusing  them  of  being 
enemies  of  the  people,  because  they  opposed  the  excesses  of  the  mob ;  of 
being  the  friends  of  royalty,  because  they  had  wished  to  save  the  life  of  the 
king ;  and  of  being  hostile  to  the  republic,  because  they  advocated  meas- 
sures  of  moderation.* 

Danton  was  now  the  acknowledged  leader  of  the  Jacobins.  He  had  ob- 
tained the  entire  control  of  the  mob  of  Paris,  and  could  guide  their  terrible 
and  resistless  energies  in  any  direction.  With  this  potent  weapon  in  his 
hand  he  was  omnipotent,  and  his  political  adversaries  were  at  his  mercy. 
The  Reign  of  Terror  had  now  commenced.  The  Girondists  made  a  heroic 
attempt  to  bring  to  justice  the  assassins  of  September,  but  the  Jacobins 
promptly  stopped  the  proceedings. 

The  aristocracy  of  birth  was  now  effectually  crushed,  and  the  Jacobins 
commenced  a  warfare  against  the  aristocracy  of  wealth  and  character.  An 
elegant  mansion,  garments  of  fine  cloth,  and  even  polished  manners,  ex- 
posed one  to  the  charge  of  being  an  aristocrat,  and  turned  against  him  the 
insults  of  the  rabble.  Marat  was  particularly  fierce,  in  his  journal,  against 
the  aristocracy  of  the  burghers,  merchants,  and  statesmen. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  the  courier  in  London  conveying  intelligence  of  the 
execution  of  the  king,  M.  Chauvelin,  the  French  embassador,  was  ordered 
to  leave  England  within  twenty-four  hours. 

"After  events,"  said  Pitt,  "on  which  the  imagination  can  only  dwell 
with  horror,  and  since  an  infernal  foction  has  seized  on  the  supreme  power 
in  France,  we  could  no  longer  tolerate  the  presence  of  M.  Chauvelin,  who 
has  left  no  means  untried  to  induce  the  people  to  rise  against  the  govern- 
ment and  the  laws  of  this  country." 

The  National  Convention  at  once  declared  war  against  England.f  Pitt, 
with  almost  superhuman  energy,  mustered  the  forces  of  England  and  Eu- 
rope for  the  strife.     In  less  than  six  months  England  had  entered  into  a 

*  Mignet,  p.  192. 

t  "The  Convention,  finding  England  already  leagued  with  the  coalition,  and  consequently  all 
its  promises  of  netitrality  vain  and  illusive,  on  the  1st  of  February,  1793,  declared  war  against  the 
King  of  Great  Britain  and  the  Stadtholder  of  Holland,  who  had  been  entirely  guided  by  the  cabi- 
net of  St.  James's  since  1788."— ^fignet,  vol.  i.,  p.  195^ 


332  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXII. 

treaty  of  alliance  with  Russia,  Prussia,  Austria,  Naples,  Spain,  and  Portu- 
gal, for  tlie  prosecution  of  the  war ;  and  had  also  entered  into  treaties  by 
which  she  promised  large  subsidies  to  Hesse  Cassel,  Sardinia,  and  Baden. 
England  thus  became  the  soul  of  this  coalition,  which  combined  the  whole 
of  Europe,  with  the  exception  of  Venice,  Switzerland,  Sweden,  Denmark, 
and  Turkey,  against  France.  These  combined  armies  were  to  assail  the 
Republic  by  land,  while  the  invincible  fleet  of  England  was  to  hurl  a  storm 
of  shot  and  shells  into  all  her  maritime  towns. 

France,  at  this  time,  had  but  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine  vessels  of  war 
all  told.  England  had  four  hundred  and  fifteen,  and  her  ally,  Holland,  one 
hundred.  Most  of  these  were  large  ships,  heavily  armed ;  and,  consequent- 
ly, England  had  but  little  fear  that  any  French  armies  could  reach  her  isles.* 
Parliament  voted  an  extraordinary  supply  of  £3,200,000  ($16,000,000). 
One  hundred  and  thirty-one  thousand  Austrians,  one  hundred  and  twelve 
thousand  Prussians,  and  fifty  thousand  Spaniards  were  speedily  on  the 
march  to  assail  France  at  every  point  on  the  frontier.f 

The  Royalists  in  La  Vendee  rose  in  arms  against  the  Republic,  and  un- 
furled the  white  banner  of  the  Bourbons.  France  was  now  threatened  more 
fearfully  than  ever  before  with  external  and  internal  war.  The  Conven- 
tion, controlled  by  the  Jacobins  and  appalled  by  the  danger,  decreed  a  levy 
of  three  hundred  thousand  men  to  repel  the  assailants,  and  also  organized 
an  extraordinary  revolutionary  tribunal,  invested  with  unlimited  powers  to 
arrest,  judge,  and  punish  any  whom  they  should  deem  dangerous  to  the 
Republic.  Violence  filled  the  land,  terror  reigned  every  where,  and  even 
Robespierre  was  heard  to  exclaim,  "  I  am  sick  of  the  Revolution." 

Dumouriez  had  driven  the  Austrians  out  of  Belgium  and  the  Netherlands, 
and  was  at  the  head  of  an  army  of  about  seventy -five  thousand  men.  Dis- 
gusted with  the  anarchy  which  reigned  in  France,  he  formed  the  bold  de- 
sign of  marching  upon  Paris  with  his  army,  dispersing  the  Convention, 
abolishing  the  Republic,  reinstituting  a  constitutional  monarchy  by  estab- 
lishing the  Constitution  of  1791,  and  by  placing  a  king,  probably  the  son 
of  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  subsequently  Louis  Philippe,  upon  the  throne. 
The  Jacobins,  goaded  by  these  accumulating  dangers — all  Europe  assailing 
France  from  without,  and  Royalists  plotting  within — were  prepared  for  any 
measures  of  desperation.  The  Girondists,  with  unavailing  heroism,  opposed 
the  frantic  measures  of  popular  violence,  and  the  Jacobins  resolved  to  get 
rid  of  them  all  by  a  decisive  blow.  The  assassins  of  September  were  ready 
to  ply  the  dagger,  under  the  plea  that  murder  was  patriotism.  A  plan  was 
formed  to  strike  them  all  down,  in  the  Convention,  on  the  night  of  the  10th 
of  March.  But  the  Girondists,  informed  of  the  plot,  absented  themselves 
from  the  meeting  and  the  enterprise  failed.  The  bold  spirit  of  the  Giron- 
dists was  avowed  in  the  words  of  Vergniaud : 

"We  have  witnessed,"  said  he,  "the  development  of  that  strange  system 
of  liberty  in  which  we  are  told  '  You  are  free,  but  think  with  us,  or  we  will 

*  Lamartinc,  History  of  the  Girondists,  vol.  ii.,  p.  395. 

t  "It  was  in  Spain,  more  particularly,  that  Pitt  set  intripues  at  work  to  urge  her  to  the  great- 
est blunder  slie  ever  committed — that  of  joining  England  against  France,  her  only  maritime  ally." 
—  Thiers,  vol.  ii.,  p.  82. 


1793.]  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  333 

denounce  you  to  the  vengeance  of  the  people ;  you  are  free,  but  bow  down 
your  head  to  the  idol  we  worship,  or  we  will  denounce  you  to  the  vengeance 
of  the  people;  you  are  free,  but  join  us  in  persecuting  the  men  whose  prob- 
ity and  intelligence  we  dread,  or  we  will  denounce  you  to  the  vengeance  of 
the  people.'  Citizens !  we  have  reason  to  fear  that  the  Revolution,  like  Sat- 
urn, will  devour  successively  all  its  children,  and  only  engender  despotism 
and  the  calamities  which  accompany  it." 

The  Province  of  La  Vendee  contained  a  population  of  about  three  hund- 
red thousand.  It  was  a  rural  district  where  there  was  no  middle  class.  The 
priests  and  the  nobles  had  the  unlettered  peasantry  entirely  under  their  in- 
fluence. Three  armies  were  raised  here  against  the  Eepublic,  of  about 
twelve  thousand  each.  Royalists  from  various  parts  of  the  empire  flocked 
to  this  region,  and  emigrants  were  landed  upon  the  coast  to  join  the  insur- 
gents. For  three  years  a  most  cruel  and  bloody  war  was  here  waged  between 
the  Royalists  and  the  Republicans, 

The  intelligence  of  this  formidable  insurrection  increased  the  panic  of  the 
Convention,  A  law  was  passed  disarming  all  who  had  belonged  to  the 
privileged  class,  and  declaring  those  to  be  outlaws  who  should  be  found  in 
any  hostile  gathering  against  the  Republic.  The  emigrants  were  forbidden 
to  land  in  France  under  the  penalty  of  death.  Every  house  in  the  kingdom 
was  to  inscribe  upon  its  door  the  names  of  all  its  inmates,  and  was  to  be 
open  at  all  times  to  the  visits  of  the  Vigilance  Committee, 

Dumouriez  sullied  his  character  by  surrendering  to  the  Austrians  several 
fortresses,  and  agreeing  with  them  that  he  would  march  upon  Paris  and  re- 
store a  monarchical  government  to  France.  The  Austrians  trusted  that  he 
would  place  upon  the  throne  the  young  son  of  Louis  XVI.,  though  it  was 
doubtless  his  intention  to  place  there  the  young  Duke  of  Chartres  (Louis 
Philippe),  who  would  be  the  representative  of  popular  ideas. 

The  Jacobin  Club  sent  a  deputation  of  three  of  its  members  to  the  camp, 
to  sound  the  views  of  Dumouriez,  The  general  received  them  with  cour- 
tesy, but  said,  with  military  frankness, 
(  "  The  Convention  is  an  assembly  of  tyrants.  While  I  have  three  inches 
of  steel  by  my  side  that  monster  shall  not  exist.  As  for  the  Republic,  it  is  an 
idle  word.  I  had  faith  in  it  for  three  days.  There  is  only  one  way  to  save 
the  country ;  that  is,  to  re-establish  the  Constitution  of  1791  and  a  king." 

"  Can  you  think  of  it!"  one  of  the  deputation  exclaimed ;  "  the  French  view 
royalty  with  horror.     The  very  name  of  Louis  is  an  abomination." 

*'  What  does  it  signify,"  replied  Dumouriez,  "  whether  the  king  be  called 
Louis,  or  Jacques,  or  Philippe  ?" 

"  And  what  are  your  means  to  eflcct  this  revolution  ?"  they  inquired. 

"  My  army,"  Dumouriez  proudly  replied.  "  From  my  camp  or  from  the 
stronghold  of  some  fortress  they  will  express  their  resolve  for  a  king," 

"  But  your  plan  will  peril  the  lives  of  the  rest  of  the  royal  family  in  the 
Temple," 

"  If  every  member  of  that  family  in  France  or  at  Coblentz  should  perish," 
Dumouriez  replied,  "  I  can  still  find  a  chief.  And  if  any  farther  barbarities 
are  practiced  upon  the  Bourbons  in  the  Temple  I  will  surround  Paris  with 
my  army  and  starve  the  Parisians  into  subjection." 


334  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXII. 

The  deputation  returned  to  Paris  with,  their  report,  and  four  commission- 
ers were  immediately  dispatched,  accompanied  by  the  Minister  of  War,  to 
summon  Dumouriez  to  the  bar  of  the  Convention.  Dumouriez  promptly 
arrested  the  commissioners  and  sent  them  off  to  the  Austrians,  to  be  retained 
by  them  as  hostages. 


DUMOtmiEZ   AKKESTING  THE   ENVOYS. 


The  Convention  immediately  offered  a  reward  for  the  head  of  Dumouriez, 
raised  an  army  of  forty  thousand  men  to  defend  Paris,  and  arrested  all  the 
relatives  of  the  ofl&cers  under  Dumouriez  as  hostages. 

Dumouriez  now  found  that  he  had  not  a  moment  to  lose.  Perils  were  ac- 
cumulating thick  around  him.  There  were  many  indications  that  it  might 
be  difficult  to  carry  the  army  over  to  his  views.  On  the  4th  of  April,  as  he 
was  repairing  to  a  place  of  rendezvous  with  the  Austrian  leaders,  the  Prince 
of  Coburg  and  General  Mack,  a  battalion  of  soldiers,  suspecting  treachery, 
endeavored  to  stop  him.  He  put  spurs  to  his  horse  and  distanced  pursuit, 
while  a  storm  of  bullets  whistled  around  his  head.  lie  succeeded,  after  in- 
numerable perils,  in  the  circuitous  ride  of  a  whole  day,  in  reaching  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Austrians.  They  received  him  with  great  distinction,  and 
offered  him  the  command  of  a  division  of  their  army.  After  two  days'  re- 
flection, he  said  that  it  was  with  the  soldiers  of  France  he  had  hoped  to  re- 
store a  stable  government  to  his  country,  accepting  the  Austrians  only  as 
auxiliaries ;  but  that  as  a  Frenchman  he  could  not  march  against  France  at 
the  head  of  foreigners.  He  retired  to  Switzerland.  The  Duke  of  Chartres 
(Louis  Philippe),  in  friendlessness  and  poverty,  followed  him,  and  for  some 
time  was  obliged  to  obtain  a  support  by  teaching  school. 

The  Jacobins  now  accused  their  formidable  rivals,  the  Girondists,  of  being 
implicated  in  the  conspiracy  of  Dumouriez.  Robespierre,  in  a  speech  of  the 
most  concentrated  and  potent  malignity,  urged  that  France  had  relieved  her- 
self of  the  aristocracy  of  birth,  but  that  there  was  another  aristocracy,  that 
of  wealth,  equally  to  be  dreaded,  which  must  be  crushed,  and  that  the  Gi- 
rondists were  the  leaders  of  this  aristocracy.    This  was  most  effectually  pan- 


j^gj  ,  THE  BEIGN  OF  TEKROE.  335 

derinc.  to  the  passions  of  the  mob,  and  directing  their  fury  against  the  Gi. 
rondiL.  The  Girondists  were  now  in  a  state  of  ternble  alarm.  They  knew 
Z  m.-a  -nity  of  their  foes,  and  eould  see  but  little  hope  for  escape  They 
had  ovenurned  the  throne  of  despotism,  hoping  to  establish  eonst.tufonal 
liberty :  they  had  only  introduced  Jacobin  phrensy  and  anarchy  Immense 
crowds  of  armed  men  paraded  the  streets  of  Pans,  surrounded  the  Conven- 
tion and  demanded  yengeanoe  against  the  leaders  of  the  Gironde.  ^^ 
The  moderate  Eepubtieans,  enemies  of  these  acts  of  v.olence,  strmng  to 
stem  the  torrent,  endeavored  to  carry  an  act  of  accusation  against  Marat. 
He  wis  charged  with  having  encouraged  assassination  and  carnage  of  dis- 
foWrngtt  National  Convention,  and  of  having  established  a  power  destruc 

'"Z"Sed  to  the  accusation  by  summoning  the  mob  to  his  aid.    They 

assanbledt  vast,  tumultuous  throngs,  ^-'^^f^^  ^'^^^'^^^^^Zttll^ 
trial  of  a  few  moments,  unanimously  acquitted  him.  This  was  '•'e  /4tn  oi 
Ap  if  The  mob  accompanied  him  back  to  his  seat  in  the  Convent  on.  He 
w^  borne  in"riumph  into  the  hall  in  the  arms  of  his  confederates,  his  brow 
encircled  by  a  wreath  of  victory.         ^,     ,     ,  „i,„  i,„rA  Mirat  "  we 

"  Citizen  President,"  shouted  one  of  the  burly  men  who  bore  Marat,  we 
brinSZ  the  worth;  Marat.  Marat  has  always  been  the  friend  of  he  peo- 
5™ln'°  the  people  lill  always  be  the  friends  of  Marat.    If  Marat  s  head 

"'tte'u^:2rther:o^  ^hl  wished  a  batt,e.a.e  aefi^-ly.^nd  tho 
mob  in  the  aisles  and  crowded  galleries  vehement  y  appl^"d«d^    He  to 

bytXf  agairr'a  Vecree  of  aecusatiL.    I  have  come  oif  victorious. 

a-.*  KotwPPn  the  Drivileced  classes  and  the  enslaved  people, 
*  In  reference  to  the  temfic  conflict  between  the  privilege  ^^^ 

Prof.  Smyth  writes,  "  My  --'l-""/^. ^^^' ""\'^^Ji^^^^  Temo  Ible  revolution.     No  histo- 

est  ri.ht  to  felicitate  ^^^-^te'til^s^inTrott^^^^^^^^^  on  the  supposition  that,  while 

rian,  no  commentator  on  these  time,  can    rocee  antagonistic  faults  of  the  other; 

he  is  censuring  the  faults  of  the  one  h    -  l-[7^y,^j7^\7,.,,dful  lesson  of  instn.ction  both  to 
that  each  party  is  to  take  it^   urn  ;^-^^^^^^^^^^^ 

vol.  iii.,  p.  245.  ,   T.      1  ,f;nn  hn^  too  often  been  told  in  this  spirit,  veiling  the  atrocities 

The  story  of  the  French  Revolution  ^^^Z';?^  7/;"  7,^^  oppressed.     While  truth  demands  that 

of  the  oppressors  and  magmfying  the  ^^^^^^fZ^  ^,,^.,  should  be  faithfiUly  deUn- 

all  the  violence  of  an  enslaved  people,  "\f  ^  '^''^  j;;'^;^^",;il,,,„ess  of  proud  oppressors,  crushing 


tially  described. 


336 


THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXII. 


MAKAT'S  TBIDMPn. 


The  faction  is  humbled,  but  not  crushed.     Waste  not  your  time  in  decree- 
ing triumphs.     Defend  yourselves  with  enthusiasm." 

Robespierre  now  demanded  an  act  of  accusation  against  the  Girondists. 
Resistance  was  hopeless.  The  inundation  of  popular  fury  was  at  its  flood, 
sweeping  every  thing  before  it.  The  most  frightful  scenes  of  tumult  took 
place  in  the  Convention,  members  endeavoring  by  violence  to  pull  each  oth- 
er from  the  tribune.* 

*  In  the  Convention,  each  one  who  addressed  the  body  ascended  to  a  desk  on  the  platform, 
called  the  tribune. 


1793."^  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  337 

■  The  whole  Convention  was  now  in  a  state  of  dismay,  eighty  thousand  in- 
furiate men  surrounding  it  with  artillery  and  musketry,  declaring  that  the 
Convention  should  not  leave  its  hall  until  the  Girondists  were  arrested. 
The  Convention,  in  a  body,  attempted  to  leave  and  force  its  way  through 
the  crowd,  but  it  was  ignominiously  driven  back.  Under  these  circum- 
stances it  was  voted  that  the  leaders  of  the  Girondists,  twenty-two  in  num- 
ber, should  be  put  under  arrest.     This  was  the  2d  of  June,  1793.* 

The  Jacobins,  having  thus  got  rid  of  their  enemies,  and  having  the  entire 
control,  immediately  decided  to  adopt  a  new  Constitution,  still  more  demo- 
cratic in  its  character ;  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  present  one  within 
a  week.  But  the  same  division  which  existed  in  the  Convention  between 
the  Jacobins  and  the  Girondists  existed  all  over  France.  In  many  of  the 
departments  fierce  battles  rose  between  the  two  parties. 

In  the  mean  time  the  Allies  were  pressing  France  in  all  directions.  The 
Austrians  and  Prussians  were  advancing  upon  the  north ;  the  Piedmontese 
threading  the  passes  of  the  maritime  Alps ;  the  Spaniards  were  prepared  to 
rush  from  the  defiles  of  the  Pyrenees,  and  the  fleet  of  England  threatened 
every  where  the  coast  of  France  on  the  Mediterranean  and  the  Channel.f 

With  amazing  energy  the  Convention  aroused  itself  to  meet  these  perils. 
A  new  Constitution,  exceedingly  democratic,  was  framed  and  adopted.  Ev- 
ery Frenchman  twenty -one  years  of  age  was  a  voter.  Fifty  thousand  souls 
were  entitled  to  a  deputy.  There  was  but  a  single  Assembly.  Its  decrees 
were  immediately  carried  into  execution.:}: 

Danton,  Eobespicrre,  and  Marat  were  now  the  idols  of  the  mob  of  Paris 
and  the  real  sovereigns  of  France.  All  who  ventured  opposition  to  them 
were  proscribed  and  imprisoned.  Members  of  the  Republican  or  Girondist 
party  every  where,  all  over  France,  were  arrested,  or,  where  they  were  suffi- 
ciently numerous  to  resist,  civil  war  raged. 

At  Caen  there  was  a  very  beautiful  girl,  Charlotte  Corday,  twenty-five 
years  of  age,  highly  educated  and  accomplished.  She  was  of  spotless  purity 
of  character,  and,  with  the  enthusiasm  of  Madame  Roland,  she  had  espoused 
the  cause  of  popular  constitutional  liberty.  The  principles  of  the  Girondist 
party  she  had  embraced,  and  the  noble  leaders  of  that  party  she  regarded 
almost  with  adoration. 

When  she  heard  of  the  overthrow  of  the  Girondists  and  their  imprison- 
ment, she  resolved  to  avenge  them,  and  hoped  that,  by  striking  down  the 
leader  of  the  Jacobins,  she  might  rouse  the  Girondists  scattered  over  France 
to  rally  and  rescue  liberty  and  their  country.  It  was  a  three  days'  ride  in 
the  diligence  from  Caen  to  Paris.  Arriving  at  Paris  on  Thursday  the  11th 
of  July,  she  carefully  inspected  the  state  of  affairs,  that  she  might  select  her 
victim,  but  confided  her  design  to  no  one. 

*  Thiers,  vol.  ii.,  p.  194. 

t  The  Allies  acted  without  union,  and,  under  dispiiise  of  a  holy  war,  concealed  the  most  self- 
ish views.  The  Austrians  wanted  Valenciennes  :  the  Kinp  of  Prussia,  Mayence  ;  the  English, 
Dunkirk  ;  the  Piedmontese  aspired  to  recover  Chambery  and  Nice ;  the  Sj)aniards,  the  least  in- 
terested of  all,  had  nevertheless  some  thoughts  of  Rouissillon.  — r/«'c>-.s  vol.  ii.,  p.  217. 

J  "  As  the  Constitution  thus  made  over  the  government  to  the  multitude,  as  it  placed  the  power 
in  a  disorganized  body,  it  would  have  been  at  all  times  imi)ractiiable,  but  at  a  period  of  general 
warfare  it  was  peculiarly  so.     Accordingly,  it  was  no  sooner  made  than  suspended."— J%7jt/. 


338  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXIL 

Marat  appeared  to  her  the  most  active,  formidable,  and  insatiable  in  his 
proscription.     She  wrote  him  a  note  as  follows : 

"  Citizen :  I  have  just  arrived  from  Caen.  Your  love  for  your  country 
inclines  me  to  suppose  you  will  listen  with  pleasure  to  the  secret  events  of 
that  part  of  the  Kepublic.  I  will  present  myself  at  your  house.  Have  the 
goodness  to  give  orders  for  my  admission,  and  grant  me  a  moment's  private 
conversation.  I  can  point  out  the  means  by  which  you  can  render  an  im- 
portant service  to  France." 

She  dispatched  this  note  from  her  hotel,  the  Inn  de  la  Providence  in  the 
Kue  des  Vieux  Augustins,  went  to  the  Palais  Koyal  and  purchased  a  large 
sheath  knife,  and,  taking  a  hackney-coach,  drove  to  the  residence  of  Marat, 
No.  4A  Rue  de  I'Ecole  de  Medecine.  It  was  Saturday  night.  Marat  was 
taking  a  bath  and  reading  by  a  light  which  stood  upon  a  three-footed  stool. 
He  heard  the  rap  of  Charlotte,  and  called  aloud  to  the  woman  who,  as  serv- 
ant and  mistress,  attended  him,  and  requested  that  she  might  be  admitted. 

Marat  was  a  man  of  the  most  restless  activity.  Eagerly  he  inquired  re- 
specting the  proscribed  at  Caen  and  of  others  who  were  opposed  to  Jacobin 
rule.  Charlotte,  while  repl3'ing  coolly,  measured  with  her  eye  the  spot  she 
should  strike  with  the  knife.  As  she  mentioned  some  names,  he  eagerly 
seized  a  pencil  and  began  to  write  them  down,  saying, 

"  They  shall  all  go  to  the  guillotine." 

"To  the  guillotine?"  exclaimed  Charlotte,  and,  instantly  drawing  the 
knife  from  her  bosom,  plunged  it  to  the  handle  directly  in  his  heart. 

The  miserable  man  uttered  one  frantic  shriek  of  "Help!"  and  fell  back 
dead  into  the  water.  The  paramour  of  Marat  and  a  serving-man  rushed  in, 
knocked  Charlotte  down  with  a  chair,  and  trampled  upon  her.  A  crowd 
soon  assembled.  Without  the  slightest  perturbation  she  avowed  the  deed. 
Her  youth  and  beauty  alone  saved  her  from  being  torn  in  pieces.  Soldiers 
soon  arrived  and  conveyed  her  to  prison. 

"  The  way  to  avenge  Marat,"  exclaimed  Robespierre  from  the  tribune  in 
tones  which  caused  France  to  tremble,  "is  to  strike  down  his  enemies  with- 
out mercy." 

The  remains  of  the  wretched  man,  whom  all  the  world  now  execrates, 
were  buried  with  the  highest  possible  honors.  His  funeral  at  midnight,  as 
all  Paris  seemed  to  follow  him  to  his  grave  in  a  torch-light  procession,  was 
one  of  the  most  imposing  scenes  of  the  Revolution. 

On  Wednesday  morning  Charlotte  was  led  to  the  Revolutionary  Tribunal 
in  the  Palace  of  Justice.  She  appeared  there  dignified,  calm,  and  beautiful. 
The  indictment  was  read,  and  they  were  beginning  to  introduce  their  wit- 
nesses, when  Charlotte  said, 

"  These  delays  are  needless.     It  is  I  that  killed  Marat," 

There  was  a  moment's  pause,  and  many  deplored  the  doom  of  one  so  youth- 
ful and  lovely.    At  last  the  president  inquired,  " By  whose  instigation?" 

"  By  that  of  no  one,"  was  the  laconic  reply. 

"What  tempted  you?"  inquired  the  president. 

"His  crimes,"  Charlotte  answered;  and  then,  continuing  in  tones  of  firm- 
ness and  intensity  which  silenced  and  overawed  all  present,  she  said, 

"I  killed  one  man,  to  save  a  hundred  thousand;  a  villain,  to  save  the 


1793.] 


THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 


S39 


CUAELOTTE  OOEDAY   AREESTKD. 


innocent ;  a  savage  "wild  beast,  to  give  repose  to  my  country.     I  was  a  Re- 
publican before  tbe  Revolution.     I  never  wanted  energy."* 

She  listened  to  her  doom  of  immediate  death  with  a  smile,  and  was  con- 
ducted back  to  the  prison,  to  be  led  from  thence  to  the  guillotine.  A  little 
after  seven  o'clock  on  this  same  evening  a  cart  issued  from  the  Concierge- 
rie,  bearing  Charlotte,  in  the  red  robe  of  a  murderess,  to  the  guillotine.  A 
vast  throng  crowded  the  streets,  most  of  whom  assailed  her  with  howls  and 
execrations.  She  looked  upon  them  with  a  serene  smile,  as  if  she  were  rid- 
ing on  an  excursion  of  pleasure.  She  was  bound  to  the  plank.  The  gUt- 
tering  axe  glided  through  the  grove,  and  the  executioner,  lifting  her  severed 
head,  exhibited  it  to  the  people,  and  then  brutally  struck  the  cheek. 

Robespierre  and  Danton,  the  idols  of  the  mob,  now  divided  the  supreme 
power  between  them.  The  organization  of  a  revolutionary  government  was 
simply  the  machine  by  means  of  which  they  operated. 

On  the  10th  of  August  there  was  another  magnificent  festival  in  Paris  to 
commemorate  the  adoption  of  the  Jacobin  Constitution.  The  celebrated 
painter  David  arranged  the  fete  with  great  artistic  skill,  and  again  all 
Paris,  though  on  the  verge  of  ruin,  was  in  a  blaze  of  illumination  and  in  a 
roar  of  triumph.  The  Austrian  armies  were  now  within  fifteen  days'  march 
of  Paris,  and  there  was  no  organized  force  which  could  effectually  arrest 
their  progress.  But  the  fear  of  the  old  Bourbon  despotism  rallied  the 
masses  to  maintain,  in  preference,  even  the  horrors  of  Jacobin  ferocity. 
The  aristocrats  crushed  the  people;  the  Jacobins  crushed  the  aristocrats. 
The  populace  naturally  preferred  the  latter  rule. 

*  Proces  de  Charlotte  Corday  (Hist.  Pari.,  vol.  xxviii.,  p.  311,  338). 


340 


THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION. 


[Chap.  XXXII. 

And  now  France  rose,  as  a  nation  never  rose  before.  At  tlie  motion  of 
Danton  it  was  decreed  on  the  23rd  of  August, 

"  From  this  moment  until  when  the  enemy  shall  be  driven  from  the  ter- 
ritory of  the  French  Eepublic,  all  the  French  shall  be  in  permanent  requisi- 
tion for  the  service  of  the  armies.  The  young  men  shall  go  forth  to  fight. 
The  married  men  shall  forge  the  arms  and  transport  the  supplies.  The 
women  shall  make  tents  and  clothes,  and  attend  on  the  hospitals.  The 
children  shall  make  lint  out  of  rags ;  the  old  men  shall  cause  themselves  to 
be  carried  to  the  public  places,  to  excite  the  courage  of  the  warriors,  to 
preach  hatred  of  kings  and  love  of  the  Republic." 


lUSOB  OF  TOLITNTSKSa. 


1793.] 


THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 


341 


All  unmarried  men  or  widowers  without  children,  between  the  ages  of 
eighteen  and  twenty -five,  were  to  assemble  at  appointed  rendezvous  and 
march  immediately.  This  act  raised  an  army  of  one  million  two  hundred 
thousand  men.  The  men  between  twenty-five  and  thirty  were  to  hold  them- 
selves in  readiness  to  follow.  And  those  between  thirty  and  sixty  were  to 
be  prepared  to  obey  orders  whenever  they  should  be  summoned  to  the 
field.     There  is  sublimity,  at  least,  in  such  energy. 

All  France  was  instantly  converted  into  a  camp,  resounding  with  prepa- 
rations for  war.  In  La  Vendee  the  friends  of  the  Bourbons  had  rallied. 
The  Convention  decreed  its  utter  destruction,  the  death  of  every  man,  con- 
flagration of  the  dwellings,  destruction  of  the  crops,  and  the  removal  of  the 
women  and  children  to  some  other  province,  where  they  should  be  support- 
ed at  the  expense  of  the  government.  It  was  sternly  resolved  that  no  mercy 
whatever  should  be  shown  to  Frenchmen  who  were  co-operating  with  for- 
eigners to  rivet  anew  upon  France  the  chains  of  Bourbon  despotism.  These 
decrees  were  executed  with  merciless  fidelity.  The  illustrious  Carnot,  who, 
to  use  his  own  words,  "  had  the  ambition  of  the  three  hundred  Spartans, 
going  to  defend  Thermopyla3,"  organized  and  disciplined  fourteen  armies, 
and  selected  for  them  able  leaders. 


m    ^fliks^-V  /  t-'f1:V^4i^     ,11' 


i<\:  -^-^ 


KXEOUnON  IN  LA  VE>T)£k. 


While  matters  were  in  this  condition,  the  inhabitants  of  Marseilles,  Lyons, 
and  Toulon  rose,  overpowered  the  Jacobins,  and,  raising  the  banner  of  the 
Bourbons,  invited  the  approach  of  the  Allies.  Toulon  was  the  naval  arsenal 
of  France,  a  large  French  fleet  crowded  its  port,  and  its  warehouses  were 
filled  with  naval  stores.  Lord  Hood,  with  an  English  squadron,  was  cruis- 
ing off  the  coast.  The  Royalists,  Admiral  Troyoff  at  their  head,  gave  the 
signal  to  the  English,  and  basely  surrendered  to  them  the  forts,  shipping, 
and  stores.  It  was  a  fearful  loss  to  the  Revolutionists.  Lord  Hood,  the 
British  admiral,  immediately  entered  with  his  fleet  took  possession,  and 
issued  a  proclamation  in  which  he  said, 

"  Considering  that  the  sections  of  Toulon  have,  bj^  the  commissioners 


342  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  ^     [ChAP.  XXXIl. 

whom  they  have  sent  to  me,  made  a  solemn  declaration  in  favor  of  Louis 
XVII.  and  a  monarchical  government,  and  that  they  will  use  their  utmost 
efforts  to  break  the  chains  which  fetter  their  country,  and  re-establish  the 
Constitution  as  it  was  accepted  by  their  defanct  sovereign  in  1789,  I  repeat 
by  this  present  declaration  that  I  take  possession  of  Toulon,  and  shall  keep 
it  solely  as  a  deposit  for  Louis  XVII.,  and  that  only  till  peace  is  re-estab- 
lished in  France."* 

An  army  of  sixty  thousand  men  was  sent  against  rebellious  Lyons.  The 
city,  after  a  prolonged  siege  and  the  endurance  of  innumerable  woes,  was 
captured.  The  Convention  decreed  that  it  should  be  utterly  destroyed, 
and  that  over  its  ruins  should  be  reared  a  monument  with  the  inscription, 
"  Lyons  made  ivar  upon  Liberty:  Lyons  is  no  moreP'  The  cruelties  inflicted 
upon  the  Koyalists  of  this  unhappy  city  are  too  painful  to  contemplate. 
The  imagination  can  hardly  exaggerate  them.  Fouche  and  Collot  d'Her- 
bois,  the  prominent  agents  in  this  bloody  vengeance,  were  atheists.  In 
contempt  of  Christianity,  they  ordered  the  Bible  and  the  Cross  to  be  borne 
through  the  streets  on  an  ass ;  the  ass  was  compelled  to  drink  of  the  conse- 
crated wine  from  the  communion-cup.  Six  thousand  of  the  citizens  of 
Lyons  perished  in  these  sanguinary  persecutions,  and  twelve  thousand  were 
driven  into  exile.  The  Revolutionary  Tribunal  was  active  night  and  day 
coiidemning  to  death.  One  morning  a  young  girl  rushed  into  the  hall,  ex- 
claiming, 

"  There  remain  to  me,  of  all  our  family,  only  my  brothers.  Mother,  fath- 
er, sisters,  uncles — you  have  butchered  all.  And  now  you  are  going  to  con- 
demn my  brothers.  In  mercy  ordain  that  I  may  ascend  the  scaffold  with 
them." 

Her  prayer  of  anguish  was  refused,  and  the  poor  child  threw  herself  into 
the  Ehone. 

The  Eoyalist  insurrection  in  La  Vendee,  after  a  long  and  terrible  conflict, 
was  crushed  out.  No  language  can  describe  the  horrors  of  vengeance  which 
ensued.  The  tale  of  brutality  is  too  awful  to  be  told.  Demons  could  not 
have  been  more  infernal  in  mercilessness. 

"  Death  by  fire  and  the  sword,"  writes  Lamartine,  "  made  a  noise,  scat- 
tered blood,  and  left  bodies  to  be  buried  and  be  counted.  The  silent  waters 
of  the  Loire  were  dumb  and  would  render  no  account.  The  bottom  of  the 
sea  alone  would  know  the  number  of  the  victims.  Carrier  caused  mariners 
to  be  brought  as  pitiless  as  himself  He  ordered  them,  without  much  mys- 
tery, to  pierce  plug-holes  in  a  certain  number  of  decked  vessels,  so  as  to 
sink  them  with  their  living  cargoes  in  parts  of  the  river. 

"  These  orders  were  first  executed  secretly  and  under  the  color  of  acci- 
dents of  navigation.  But  soon  these  naval  executions,  of  which  the  waves 
of  the  Loire  bore  witness  even  to  its  mouth,  became  a  spectacle  for  Carrier 
and  for  his  courtiers.  He  furnished  a  galley  of  pleasure,  of  which  he  made 
a  present  to  his  accomplice  Lambertye,  under  pretext  of  watching  the  banks 
of  the  river.  This  vessel,  adorned  with  all  the  delicacies  of  furniture,  pro- 
vided with  all  the  wines  and  all  the  necessaries  of  feasting,  became  the  most 

*  After  the  death  of  Louis  XVI.  the  Royalists  considered  the  young  Dauphin,  then  imprisoned 
in  the  tower,  as  the  legitimate  king,  with  the  title  of  Louis  XVII. 


1793.] 


THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 


343 


A68AORE8  IN  LYONS. 


aeneral  theatre  of  these  exeeutions.  Carrier  embarked  berem  sometimes 
h  m^Sf  "is  executioners  and  his  courtesans  to  make  tnps  upon  the 
wate  While  he  yielded  himself  up  to  the  joys  of  love  and  wme  on  deek 
rvietil  ineloseJ  in  the  hold  ^  -a  ^^^^^^^ZZ:^ 
t  r; tllt .Ss^o-?^":  Sl^Utbld^  tbel  last  u^nder  their  feet. 
Thev  continued  their  orgies  upon  this  floating  sepulchre. 

"Some  mis  Carrier,  Lambertye,  and  their  accomplices  rejoiced  in  the 
CTueKnrof  this  spectacle  of  agony.  They  caused  victims  of  either  sex 
r^uplTto  mount  upon  the  deek.    Stripped  of  their  garments,  they  bound 


344 


THE  FKENCH  REVOLUTION. 


[Chap.  XXXII. 

them  face  to  face,  one  to  the  other — a  priest  with  a  nun,  a  young  man  with 
a  young  girl.  They  suspended  them,  thus  naked  and  interlaced,  by  a  cord 
passed  under  the  shoulders  through  a  block  of  the  vessel.  They  sported 
with  horrible  sarcasms  on  this  parody  of  marriage  in  death,  and  then  flung 
the  victims  into  the  river.  This  cannibal  sport  was  termed  '  Eepubhcan 
Marriages.' " 


DEOWTSING   VICTIMS   IN   TUB  LOIEE. 


Eobespierre,  informed  of  these  demoniac  deeds,  recalled  Carrier,  but  he 
did  not  dare  to  bring  an  act  of  accusation  against  the  wretch,  lest  he  should 
peril  his  own  head  by  being  charged  with  sympathy  with  the  Eoyalists.  It 
is  grateful  to  record  that  Carrier  himself  was  eventually  conducted,  amid 
the  execrations  of  the  community,  to  the  scaffold.* 

Q  The  prisons  of  Paris  were  now  filled  with  victims.  Municipal  instruc- 
tions, issued  by  Chaumette,  catalogued  as  follows  those  who  should  be  ar- 
rested as  suspected  persons :  1.  Those  who,  by  crafty  addresses,  check  the 
energy  of  the  people.  2.  Those  who  mysteriously  deplore  the  lot  of  the 
people,  and  propagate  bad  news  with  affected  grief.  3.  Those  who,  silent 
respecting  the  faults  of  the  Eoyalists,  declaim  against  the  faults  of  the  Patri- 
ots. 4.  Those  who  pity  those  against  whom  the  law  is  obliged  to  take 
measures.     5.  Those  who  associate  with  aristocrats,  priests,  and  moderates, 

*  Carrier  was  heard  to  say  one  clay,  while  hrcakfastiriR  in  a  restaurant,  that  France  was  too 
densely  populated  for  a  republic,  and  that  it  was  necessary  to  kill  off  at  least  one  third  of  the  in- 
habitants before  they  could  have  a  good  government.  It  is  estimated  that  fifteen  thousand  were 
massacred  in  La  Vcude'c  at  his  command. 


1793.]  EXECUTION  OF  MARIE  ANTOINETTE  AND  MADAME  ELIZABETH.  345 

and  take  an  interest  in  their  fate.  6.  Those  who  have  not  taken  an  active 
part  in  the  Revolution.  7.  Those  who  have  received  the  Constitution  with 
indifference  and  have  expressed  fears  njspecting  its  duration.  8.  Those 
who,  though  they  have  done  nothing  aganist  liberty,  have  done  nothing  for 
it.  9.  Those  who  do  not  attend  the  sections.  10.  Those  who  speak  con- 
temptuously of  the  constituted  authorities.  11.  Those  who  have  signed 
counter-revolutionary  petitions.  12.  The  partisans  of  La  Fayette,  and  those 
who  marched  to  the  charge  in  the  Champ  de  Mars. 

There  were  but  few  persons  in  Paris  who  were  not  liable  to  be  arrested, 
by  the  machinations  of  any  enem}'',  upon  some  one  of  these  charges.  Many 
thousands  were  soon  incarcerated.  The  prisons  of  the  Maire,  La  Force,  the 
Conciergerie,  the  Abba3^e,  St.  Pelagie,  and  the  Madelonettes  were  crowded 
to  their  utmost  capacity.  Then  large  private  mansions,  the  College  of  Du- 
plessis,  and  finally  the  spacious  Palace  of  the  Luxembourg  were  converted 
into  prisons,  and  were  filled  to  suffocation  with  the  suspected.  In  these 
abodes,  surrendered  to  filth  and  misery,  with  nothing  but  straw  to  lie  upon, 
the  most  brilliant  men  and  women  of  Paris  were  huddled  together  with  the 
vilest  outcasts.  After  a  time,  however,  those  who  had  property  were  per- 
mitted to  surround  themselves  with  such  comforts  as  their  means  would 
command.  From  these  various  prisons  those  who  were  to  be  tried  before 
the  Revolutionary  Tribunal  were  taken  to  the  Conciergerie,  which  adjoined 
the  Palace  of  Justice,  where  the  tribunal  held  its  session.  A  trial  was  al- 
most certain  condemnation,  and  the  guillotine  knew  no  rest.  Miserable 
France  was  now  surrendered  to  the  Reign  of  Terror,  The  mob  had  become 
the  sovereign. 


CHAPTER  XXXIIL 

EXECUTION  OF   MARIE   ANTOINETTE   AND   MADAME   ELIZABETH. 

Marie  Antoinette  in  the  Temple. — Conspiracies  for  the  Rescue  of  the  Royal  Family. — The  young 
Dauphin  torn  from  his  Mother. — Phrensy  of  the  Queen. — She  is  removed  to  the  Conciergerie. 
— Indignities  and  Woes. — The  Queen  led  to  Trial. — Letter  to  her  Sister. — The  Execution  of 
the  Queen. — Madame  Elizabeth  led  to  Trial  and  E.xecution. — Fate  of  the  Princess  and  the 
Dauphin. 

The  populace  now  demanded  the  head  of  Marie  Antoinette,  whom  they 
had  long  been  taught  implacably  to  hate.*     "We  left  her  on  tlie  21st  of 

*  Thomas  Jefferson,  during  his  residence  in  Paris,  formed  a  very  unfavorable  opinion  of  Marie 
Antoinette.  Speaking  of  the  good  intentions  of  Louis  XVI.,  he  says,  "But  lie  had  a  queen  of 
absolute  sway  over  his  weak  mind  and  timid  virtue,  and  of  a  character  the  reverse  of  his  in  ail 
jioints.  This  angel,  as  gaudily  ]iainted  in  the  rliajisodies  of  Burke  with  some  smartness  of  fancy 
but  no  sound  sense,  was  ])roud,  disdainful  of  restraint,  indignant  at  all  obstacles  to  her  will,  eager, 
in  ])ursuit  of  pleasure,  and  firm  enough  to  hold  to  her  desires  or  perish  in  their  wreck.  Her  inor- 
dinate gamblings  and  dissipations,  with  those  of  the  Count  d'Artois  and  others  of  her  clique,  had 
been  a  sensible  item  in  the  exhaustion  of  the  treasuiy,  which  called  into  action  the  reforming 
hand  of  the  nation ;  and  her  opposition  to  it,  her  inflexible  perverseness  and  dauntless  spirit  led 
herself  to  the  guillotine,  drew  the  king  on  with  her,  and  ])Iunged  the  world  into  crimes  and  ca- 
lamities which  will  for  ever  stain  the  pages  of  modern  history.  I  have  ever  believed  that  had 
there  been  no  queen  there  would  have  been  no  revolution.  The  king  woidd  have  gone  hand  in 
hand  with  the  wisdom  of  bis  sounder  counselors,  who,  guided  by  the  increased  lights  of  the  age, 
Vol.  II.— E 


346  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [CHAr.  XXXIII. 

Janaary  in  the  Temple,  overwlielmed  with  agony.  Swoon  succeeded  swoon 
as  she  listened  to  the  clamor  in  the  streets  which  accompanied  her  husband 
to  the  guillotine.  The  rumbling  of  the  cannon,  on  their  return,  and  the 
shouts  of  Vive  la  Repuhlique  beneath  her  windows  announced  that  the  trag- 
edy was  terminated.  The  Commune  cruelly  refused  to  allow  her  any  details 
of  the  last  hours  of  the  king,  and  even  Clery,  his  faithful  servant,  was  im- 
prisoned, so  that  he  could  not  even  place  in  her  hands  the  lock  of  hair  and 
the  marriage  ring  which  the  king  had  intrusted  to  him. 

Many  conspiracies  were  formed  for  the  rescue  of  the  royal  family,  which 
led  to  a  constant  increase  of  the  rigors  of  their  captivity.  The  queen  refused 
to  resume  her  walks  in  the  garden  as  she  could  not  endure  to  pass  the  door 
of  the  king's  apartment.  But,  after  long  seclusion,  for  the  sake  of  the  health 
of  her  children  she  consented  to  walk  with  them  each  day,  for  a  few  mo- 
ments, on  the  platform  of  the  tower.  The  Commune  immediately  ordered 
the  platform  to  be  surrounded  with  high  boards,  so  that  the  captives  might 
not  receive  any  tokens  of  recognition  from  their  friends. 

For  four  months  Marie  Antoinette,  Madame  Elizabeth,  and  the  children 
had  the  consolation  of  condoling  with  each  other  in  their  misery.  But  on 
the  night  of  the  4th  of  July  the  clatter  of  an  armed  band  was  heard  ascend- 
ing the  tower,  and  some  commissioners  tumultuously  entered  her  chamber. 
They  read  to  her  a  decree  announcing  that  her  son,  the  dauphin,  was  to  be 
taken  from  her  and  imprisoned  by  himself.  The  poor  child,  as  he  listened 
to  the  reading  of  this  cruel  edict,  was  frantic  with  terror.  He  threw  himself 
into  his  mother's  arms  and  shrieked  out, 

"  Oh !  mother,  mother,  do  not  abandon  me  to  those  men.  They  will  kill 
me  as  they  did  papa." 

The  queen,  in  a  delirium  of  agony,  grasped  her  child  and  placing  him 
upon  the  bed  behind  her,  with  ej^es  glaring  like  a  tigress,  bade  defiance  to 
the  officers,  declaring  that  they  should  tear  her  in  pieces  before  they  should 
take  her  boy.  Even  the  officers  were  overcome  by  her  heart-rending  grief, 
and  for  two  hours  refrained  from  taking  the  child  by  violence.  The  ex- 
hausted mother  at  length  fell  in  a  swoon,  and  the  child  was  taken,  shrieking 
with  terror,  from  the  room.     She  never  saw  her  son  again. 

A  few  weeks  of  woe  passed  slowly  away,  when,  early  in  August,  she  was 
awakened  from  her  sleep  just  after  midnight  by  a  band  of  armed  men  who 
came  to  convey  her  to  the  prison  of  the  Conciergerie,  where  she  was  to  await 
her  trial.  The  queen  had  already  drained  the  cup  of  misery  to  the  dregs, 
and  nothing  could  add  to  her  woe.  She  rose,  in  the  stupor  of  despair,  and 
began  to  dress  herself  in  the  presence  of  the  officers.  Her  daughter  and 
Madame  Elizabeth  threw  themselves  at  the  feet  of  the  men,  and  implored 

wished  only,  with  the  same  pace,  to  advance  the  jirincijilos  of  thoir  social  Constitution.  The  deed 
which  closed  the  mortal  course  of  these  sovereijins  I  shall  neither  aj)prove  nor  condemn." — Life 
of  Jefferson,  by  Randall,  vol  i.,  j).  533. 

As  Jefferson  was  intimate  with  La  Fayette  and  other  jirominent  jrapular  leaders,  it  is  evident 
that  these  views  were  those  which  were  generally  entertained  of  the  queen  at  that  time.  It  is 
deeply  to  be  regretted  that  no  subsequent  develofjuients  can  lead  one  to  doubt  that  they  were  es- 
sentially correct.  Wliile  we  weep  over  the  woes  of  the  queen  we  must  not  forpet  that  she  was 
endeavoring  with  all  her  energy  to  rivet  the  chains  of  unlimited  despotism  upon  twenty-five  mil- 
lions of  people. 


1793.]  EXECUTION  OF  MARIE  ANTOINETTE  AND  MADAME  ELIZABETH.    347 

them  not  to  take  the  queen  from  them.  They  might  as  well  have  plead 
with  the  granite  blocks  of  their  prison. 

Pressing  Ikt  daughter  for  a  moment  convulsively  to  her  heart,  she  cov- 
ered her  with  kisses,  spoke  a  few  words  of  impassioned  tenderness  to  her 
sister,  and  then,  as  if  fearing  to  cast  a  last  look  upon  these  objects  of  her  af- 
fection, hurried  from  the  room.  In  leaving  she  struck  her  forehead  against 
the  beam  of  the  low  door. 

"Did  you  hurt  yourself?"  inquired  one  of  the  men. 

"  Oh  no !"  was  her  reply,  "  nothing  now  can  farther  harm  me." 

A  carriage  was  waiting  I'or  her  at  the  door.  Escorted  by  fjcns  cVarmes  she 
was  conducted,  through  the  gloom  of  midnight,  to  the  dungeon  where  she 
she  was  to  await  her  condemnation. 

The  world-renowned  prison  of  the  Conciergerie  consists  of  a  series  of  sub- 
terranean dungeons  beneath  the  floor  of  the  Palais  de  Justice.  More  gloomy 
tombs  the  imagination  can  hardly  conceive.  Down  the  dripping  and  slimy 
steps  the  queen  was  led,  by  the  light  of  a  tallow  candle,  until,  through  a 
labyrinth  of  corridors,  she  approached  the  iron  door  of  her  dungeon.  The 
rusty  hinges  grated  ;is  \\\o.  (looi-  wiis  opened,  and  she  was  thrust  in.     Two 

^^  \^^  ■  "II  n|,IIW«     MlUlllflll)    ,|y. 


MABIE  ANTOINETTE  IN  THE  OONOIEBOERIE, 


soldiers  accompanied  her,  with  drawn  swoids,  and  who  were  commanded,  in 
defiance  of  all  the  instincts  of  delicacy,  not  to  allow  her  to  be  one  moment 
absent  from  their  sight.  The  one  candle  gave  just  light  enough  to  reveal 
the  horrors  of  her  cell.  The  floor  was  covered  with  mud,  and  streams  of 
water  trickled  down  the  stone  walls.     A  miserable  pallet,  with  a  dirty  cov- 


348  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChaP.  XXXIII. 

ering  of  coarse  and  tattered  cloth,  a  small  pine  table,  and  a  chair  constituted 
the  only  furniture.     So  deep  was  the  fall  from  the  saloons  of  Versailles, 

Here  the  queen  remained  for  two  months,  her  misery  being  slightly  alle- 
viated by  the  kind-heartedness  of  Madame  Eichard,  the  wife  of  the  jailer, 
who  did  every  thing  the  rigorous  rules  would  admit  to  mitigate  her  woes. 
"With  her  own  hand  she  prepared  food  for  the  queen,  obtained  for  her  a  few 
articles  of  furniture,  and  communicated  to  her  daily  such  intelligence  as  she 
could  obtain  of  her  sister  and  her  children.  The  friends  of  the  queen  were 
untiring  in  their  endeavors,  by  some  conspiracy,  to  effect  her  release.  A 
gentleman  obtained  admittance  to  the  queen's  cell,  and  presented  her  with  a 
rose,  containing  a  note  hidden  among  its  petals.  One  of  the  ge7is  cfarmes  de- 
tected the  attempt;  and  the  jailer  and  his  wife,  for  their  suspected  conniv- 
ance, were  both  arrested  and  thrown  into  the  dungeons. 

Other  jailers  were  provided  for  the  prison,  M,  and  Madame  Bault;  but 
they  also  had  humane  hearts,  and  wept  over  the  woes  of  Marie  Antoinette. 
The  queen's  wardrobe  consisted  only  of  two  robes,  one  white,  one  black,  and 
three  chemises.  From  the  humidity  of  her  cell  these  rapidly  decayed,  with 
her  shoes  and  stockings,  and  fell  into  tatters.  Madame  Bault  was  permitted 
to  assist  the  queen  in  mending  these,  but  was  not  allowed  to  furnish  any 
new  apparel.  Books  and  writing  materials  were  also  prohibited.  With  the 
point  of  her  needle  she  kept  a  brief  memorandum  of  events  on  the  stucco 
of  her  walls,  and  also  inscribed  brief  lines  of  poetry  and  sentences  from 
Scripture. 

On  the  14th  of  October  the  queen  was  conducted  from  her  dungeon  to  the 
halls  above  for  trial.  Surrounded  by  a  strong  escort,  she  was  led  to  the 
bench  of  the  accused.  Her  accusation  was  that  she  abhorred  the  Eevolution 
which  had  beheaded  her  husband  and  plunged  her  whole  family  into  unut- 
terable woe. 

The  queen  was  dressed  in  the  garb  of  extreme  poverty.  Grief  had  whit- 
ened her  hair,  and  it  was  fast  falling  from  her  head.  Her  eyes  were  sunken, 
and  her  features  wan  and  wasted  with  woe. 

"  What  is  your  name?"  inquired  one  of  the  judges. 

"  I  am  called  Marie  Antoinette  of  Lorraine,  in  Austria,"  answered  the 
queen, 

"  What  is  your  condition  ?"  was  the  next  question. 

"I  am  widow  of  Louis,  formerly  King  of  the  French,"  was  the  reply. 

"  What  is  your  age  ?" 

"  Thirty-seven." 

The  long  act  of  accusation  was  then  read.  Among  other  charges  was  the 
atrocious  one  of  attempting,  by  depravity  and  debauchery,  to  corrupt  her 
own  son,  "with  the  intention  of  enervating  the  soul  and  body  of  that  child, 
and  of  reigning,  in  his  name,  over  the  ruin  of  his  understanding." 

The  queen  recoiled  from  this  charge  with  a  gesture  of  horror,  and,  when 
asked  why  she  did  not  reply  to  the  accusation,  she  said, 

"I  have  not  answered  it  because  there  are  accusations  to  which  nature  re- 
fuses to  reply,     I  appeal  to  all  mothers  if  such  a  crime  be  possible." 

The  trial  continued  for  two  days.  When  all  the  accusations  had  been 
heard,  the  queen  was  asked  if  she  had  any  thing  to  say.     She  replied. 


1793.]  EXECUTION  OF  MARIE  ANTOINETTE  AND  MADAME  ELIZABETH.  349 

» I  was  a  queen,  and  you  took  away  my  crown;  a  wife,  and  you  killed 
my  husband ;  a  mother,  and  you  deprived  me  of  my  chddren.  My  blood 
alone  remains.     Take  it ;  but  do  not  make  me  suffer  long. 


TBIAL  OF   MAEIB  ANTOtNETTE. 


At  four  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  tte  16th  she  listened  to  her  sentence 
condemning  her  to  die.  In  the  dignity  of  silence  and  without  the  tremor 
of  a  Zcle  she  accepted  her  doom.  As  she  was  led  from  the  court-room  to 
her  cUnweon,  to  prepare  for  her  execution,  the  brutal  populace,  with  stamp- 
ings and  clampings,  applauded  the  sentence.  Being  indulged  with  pen  and 
paper  in  these  last  hours,  she  wrote  as  follows  to  her  sister: 

"October  16th,  half  past  four  in  the  morning. 

"  I  write  you,  my  sister,  for  the  last  time.  I  have  been  condemned,  not 
,0  an  ignomhiio'us  death-that  only  awaits  eriminals-but  to  g"  and  rqoia 
vour  brother.  Innocent  as  he,  I  hope  to  show  the  same  Annness  as  he  chd 
in  these  last  moments.  I  grieve  bitterly  at  leaving  my  PO"-,  •^'^''d,  ^"  •  JJ 
know  that  I  existed  but  for  them  and  you-you  who  have,  by  your  friend- 
ship, sacrificed  all  to  be  with  us.  In  what  a  position  do  I  leave  you.  I 
have  learned,  by  the  pleadings  on  my  trial,  that  my  daughter  was  separated 
fromvou.     Alas!  my  poor  child.    I  dare  not  wnte  to  her.    She  could  not 


350  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXIII. 

receive  my  letter.     I  know  not  even  if  this  may  reacli  you.     Receive  my 
blessing  for  both. 

"  I  hope  one  day,  when  they  are  older,  they  may  rejoin  you  and  rejoice  in 
liberty  at  your  tender  care.  May  their  friendship  and  mutual  confidence 
form  their  happiness.  May  my  daughter  feel  that,  at  her  age,  she  ought  al- 
ways to  aid  her  brother  with  that  advice  with  which  the  greater  experience 
she  possesses  and  her  friendship  should  inspire  her.  May  my  son,  on  his 
part,  render  to  his  sister  every  care  and  service  which  affection  can  dictate. 
Let  my  son  never  forget  the  last  words  of  his  father.  I  repeat  them  to  him 
expressly.     Let  hirtx  never  attempt  to  avenge  our  deaths 

Having  finished  the  letter,  which  was  long,  she  folded  it  and  kissed  it  re- 
peatedly, "as  if  she  could  thus  transmit  the  warmth  of  her  lips  and  the 
moisture  of  her  tears  to  her  children."  She  then  threw  herself  upon  the 
pallet  and  slept  quietly  for  two  or  three  hours.  A  few  rays  of  morning 
light  were  now  struggling  in  through  the  grated  bars  of  the  window.  The 
daughter  of  Madame  Bault  came  in  to  dress  her  for  the  guillotine.  She  put 
on  her  white  robe.  A  white  handkerchief  covered  her  shoulders,  and  a 
white  cap,  bound  around  her  temples  by  a  black  ribbon,  covered  her  hair. 

It  was  a  cold  autumnal  morning,  and  a  chill  fog  filled  the  streets  of  Paris. 
At  eleven  o'clock  the  executioners  led  her  from  her  cell.  She  cordially 
embraced  the  kind-hearted  daughter  of  the  concierge,  and,  having  with  her 
own  hands  cut  off  her  hair,  allowed  herself  to  be  bound,  without  a  murmur, 
and  issued  from  the  steps  of  the  Conciergerie.  Instead  of  a  carriage,  the 
coarse  car  of  the  condemned  awaited  her  at  the  gateway  of  the  prison.  For 
a  moment  she  recoiled  from  this  unanticipated  humiliation,  but  immediately 
recoverinsf  herself  she  ascended  the  cart.  There  was  no  seat  in  the  car, 
and,  as  her  hands  were  bound  behind  her,  she  was  unable  to  support  her- 
self from  the  jolting  over  the  pavement.  As  she  was  jostled  rudely  to  and 
fro,  in  the  vain  attempt  to  preserve  her  equilibrium,  the  multitudes  throng- 
ing the  streets  shouted  in  derision.  They  had  been  taught  to  hate  her,  to 
regard  her  not  only  as  the  implacable  foe  of  popular  liberty,  which  she  was, 
but  as  the  most  infamous  of  women,  which  she  was  not.  "  These,"  they 
cried,  "are  not  your  cushions  of  Trianon."  ' 

It  was  a  long  ride  to  the  scaffold,  during  which  the  queen  suffered  all 
that  insult,  derision,  and  contumely  can  inflict.  The  procession  crossed  the 
Seine  by  the  Pont  au  Change^  and  traversed  the  Rva  St.  Honore.  Upon 
reaching  the  Place  of  the  Revolution  the  cart  stopped  for  a  moment  near 
the  entrance  of  the  garden  of  the  Tuileries.  Marie  Antoinette  for  a  few 
moments  contemplated  in  silence  those  scenes  of  former  happiness  and 
grandeur.  A  few  more  revolutions  of  the  wheels  placed  her  at  the  foot 
of  the  guillotine.  She  mounted  to  the  scaffold,  and  inadvertently  trod  upon 
the  foot  of  the  executioner. 

•'Pardon  me,"  said  the  queen,  with  as  much  courtesy  as  if  she  had  been 
in  one  of  the  saloons  of  Versailles.  Kneeling,  she  uttered  a  brief  prayer, 
and  then,  turning  her  eyes  to  the  distant  towers  of  the  Temple,  she  said, 

"  Adieu,  once  again,  my  children ;  I  go  to  rejoin  your  father." 

She  was  bound  to  the  plank,  and  as  it  sank  to  its  place  the  gleaming  axe 


1793.]   EXECUTION  OF  MARIE  ANTOINETTE  AND  MADAME  ELIZABETH.  351 

slid  through  the  groove,  and  the  head  of  the  queen  fell  into  the  basket.  The 
executioner  seized  the  gory  trophy  by  the  hair,  and,  walking  around  the 
scaftbld,  exhibited  it  to  the  crowd.  One  long  cry  of  Vive  la  Repuhlique! 
arose,  and  the  crowd  dispersed. 

While  these  fearful  scenes  were  passing,  Madame  Elizabeth  and  the 
princess  remained  in  the  tower  of  the  Temple.  Their  jailers  were  com- 
manded to  give  them  no  information  whatever.  The  young  dauphin  was 
imprisoned  by  himself. 

Six  months  of  gloom  and  anguish  which  no  pen  can  describe  passed  away, 
when,  on  the  night  of  the  9th  of  May,  1794,  as  Madame  Elizabeth  and  the 
young  princess,  Maria  Theresa,  were  retiring  to  bed,  a  band  of  armed  men, 
with  lanterns,  broke  into  their  room,  and  said  to  Madame  Elizabeth, 

"  You  must  immediately  go  with  us." 

"And  my  niece?"  anxiously  inquired  the  meek  and  pious  aunt,  ever  for- 
getful of  self  in  her  solicitude  for  others,     "  Can  she  go  too  ?" 

"  We  want  you  only  now.  We  will  take  care  of  her  by-and-by,"  was  the 
unfeeling  answer. 

The  saint-like  Madame  Elizabeth  saw  that  the  long-dreaded  hour  of  sep- 
aration had  come,  and  that  her  tender  niece  was  to  be  left,  unprotected  and 
alone,  exposed  to  the  brutality  of  her  jailers.  She  pressed  Maria  Theresa 
to  her  bosom,  and  wept  in  uncontrollable  grief.  But  still,  endeavoring  to 
comfort  the  heart-stricken  child,  she  said, 

"  I  shall  probably  soon  return  again,  my  dear  Maria." 

"  No,  you  won't,  citoyenne,"  rudely  interrupted  one  of  the  officers.  "  You 
will  never  ascend  these  stairs  again.    So  take  your  bonnet,  and  come  down." 

The  soldiers  seized  her,  led  her  down  the  stairs,  and  thrust  her  into  a 
carriage.  It  was  midnight.  Driving  violently  through  the  streets,  they 
soon  reached  the  gateway  of  the  Conciergerie.  The  Revolutionary  Tribu- 
nal was,  even  at  that  hour,  in  session.  The  princess  was  dragged  immedi- 
ately to  their  bar.  With  twenty -four  others  of  all  ages  and  both  sexes,  she 
was  condemned  to  die.  Her  crime  was  that  she  was  sister  of  the  king,  and 
in  heart  hostile  to  the  Revolution.  She  was  led  to  one  of  the  dungeons  to 
be  dressed  for  the  scaffold.  In  this  hour  Christian  faith  was  triumphant. 
Trusting  in  God,  all  her  sorrows  vanished,  and  her  soul  was  in  perfect 
peace. 

With  her  twenty-two  companions,  all  of  noble  birth,  she  was  placed  in 
the  cart  of  the  condemned,  her  hands  bound  behind  her,  and  conducted  to 
the  guillotine.  Madame  Elizabeth  was  reserved  to  the  last.  One  by  one 
her  companions  were  led  up  the  scaffold  before  her,  and  she  saw  their  heads 
drop  into  the  basket.  She  then  peacefully  placed  her  head  upon  the  pillow 
of  death,  and  passed  away,  one  of  the  purest  and  yet  most  suffering  of 
earthly  spirits,  to  the  bosom  of  her  God. 

The  3'oung  dauphin  lingered  for  eighteen  months  in  his  cell,  suffering  in- 
conceivable cruelties  from  his  jailer,  a  wretch  by  the  name  of  Simon,  until 
he  died  on  the  9th  of  June,  1795,  in  the  tenth  year  of  his  age.  Maria  The- 
resa now  alone  remained  of  the  family  of  Louis  XVI.  She  had  now  been 
in  prison  more  than  two  years.  At  length,  so  much  sympathy  was  excited 
in  behalf  of  this  suffering  child,  that  the  Assembly  consented  to  exchange 
her  with  the  Austrian  government  for  four  French  officers. 


362 


THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION. 


[Chap.  XXXllL 


LOinS  XVII.    IN   PRISON. 


On  the  19th  of  December,  1795,  she  was  led  from  the  Temple,  and,  ample 
arrangements  having  been  made  for  her  journey,  she  was  conducted,  with 
every  mark  of  respect  and  sympatli}'',  to  the  frontiers.  In  the  Austrian 
court,  love  and  admiration  encircled  her.  But  this  stricken  child  of  grief 
had  received  wounds  which  time  could  never  entirely  heal.  A  full  year 
passed  before  a  smile  could  ever  be  won  to  visit  her  cheek.  She  subse- 
quently married  her  cousin,  the  Duke  of  Angouleme,  son  of  Charles  X. 
With  the  return  of  the  Bourbons  she  returned  to  her  ancestral  halls  of  the 
Tuileries  and  Versailles.  But  upon  the  second  expulsion  of  the  Bourbons 
she  fled  with  them,  and  died,  a  few  years  ago,  at  an  advanced  age,  univer 
sally  respected.  Such  was  the  wreck  of  the  royal  family  of  France  by  the 
storm  of  revolution. 


1793.]  THE  JACOBINS  TRIUMPHANT.  353 


CHAPTER  XXXIY. 

THE  JACOBINS  TRIUMPHANT. 

Views  of  the  Girondists. — Anecdote  of  Verpniaud. — Tlie  Girondists  brought  to  Trial. — Suicide 
of  Vahize'. — Anguisii  of  Dcsnioulins. — Fonfrcde  and  Ducos.  —  Last  Sii])))er  of  the  Girondists. — 
Their  Execution. — Tlie  Duke  of  Oilcans;  liis  Execution.  —  Activity  <.f  the  Guillotine. — Hu- 
mane Legislation. — Testimony  of  Dcsodoards. — Ainicharsis  Cloots. — The  New  Era. 

The  Jacobins  now  resolved  to  free  themselves  fiom  all  internal  foes,  that 
they  might  more  vigorously  cope  with  all  Euro})e  in  arms  against  them. 
Marie  Antoinette  was  executed  the  IGtli  of  October.  On  the  22d,  the  Gi- 
rondists, twenty-two  in  number,  were  brought  before  the  Revolutionary  Tri- 
bunal. They  were  the  most  illustrious  men  of  the  most  noble  party  to  which 
the  Revolution  had  given  birth.  I'hc}^  had  demolished  a  despotic  throne 
that  they  might  establish  a  constitutional  monarchy  upon  the  model  of  that 
of  England.*  With  great  genei'osity  thoy  had  placed  Louis  XVI.  on  that 
throne,  and  he  had  feigned  to  acce})t  the  Constitution.  But  with  hypocrisy 
which  even  his  subsequent  woes  can  not  obliterate,  he  secretly  rallied  his 
nobles  around  him,  or  rather  allowed  them  to  use  him  as  their  leader,  and 
appealed  to  the  armies  of  foreign  despotisms  to  overthrow  the  free  Consti- 
tution and  re-establish  the  old  feudal  tyranny. 

"The  question  thenceforth  wa.s,  whether  their  sons  should,  as  in  times 
past  (as  in  Mr.  Burke's  splendid  Age  of  Chivalry),  be  sent  to  manure  Eu^ 
rope  with  their  bodies,  in  wars  undertaken  at  the  nod  of  a  courtesan — ^\ 
whether  their  wives  and  daughters,  cursed  with  beauty  enough  to  excite  a 
transient  emotion  of  sensuality,  should  be  lured  and  torn  from  them  and  de-, 
bauched — whether  every  man  who  dared  to  utter  a  manly  political  thoughtN 
or  to  assert  his  rights  against  rank  should  be  imprisoned  at  pleasure  without 
a  hearing — whether  the  toiling  masses,  for  the  purpose  of  supporting  lasciv- 
ious splendor,  of  building  Pares  avx  Cerfs,  of  pt'usioning  discarded  mistresses,! 
of  swiftly  enriching  corrupt  favorites  and  minions  of  every  stamp,  should  be 
so  taxed  that  the  light  and  air  of  heaven  hardly  came  to  them  untaxed,  and 
that  they  should  be  so  sunk  by  exactions  of  every  kind  in  the  dregs  of  indi- 
gence that  a  short  crop  compelled  them  to  live  on  food  that  the  hounds,  if 
not  the  swine,  of  their  task-masters  would  reject;  and,  finally,  whether,  when, 
in  the  bloody  sweat  of  their  agony,  they  asked  some  mitigation  of  their  hard 
fate,  they  .should  be  answered  by  the  bayonets  of  foreign  mercenaries  ;  and  a 
people — stout  manhood,  gentle  womanhood,  gray-haired  age,  and  tender  in- 

*  La  Fayette  was  an  illustrious  member  of  this  party.  Even  Jefferson  advised  to  make  the 
English  Constitution  the  model  for  France.  He  was  present  at  the  opening  of  the  Assembly  of 
Notables,  and  soon  after  wrote  to  La  Fayette,  "Keeping  the  good  model  of  your  neighboring 
country  before  your  eyes,  yon  may  get  on  step  by  step  toward  a  good  Constitution.  Though  that 
model  is  not  perfect,  yet,  as  it  would  unite  more  suffrages  than  any  new  one  which  could  be  pro- 
posed, it  is  better  to  make  that  the  object." — Life  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  by  Henry  S.  Randall, 
Tol.  i.,  p.  406. 

z 


354  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXIV. 

fancy,  turned  their  pale  faces  upward  and  shrieked  for  food,  fierce,  licentious 
nobles  should  scornfully  bid  them  eat  grass."* 

In  this  terrible  dilemma,  the  Girondists  felt  compelled  to  abandon  the 
newly-established  Constitutional  monarchy,  which  had  proved  treacherous 
to  its  trust,  and  to  fall  back  upon  a  republic,  as  their  only  asylum  from  de- 
struction, and  as  the  only  possible  refuge  for  French  liberty.  But  the  popu. 
lace  of  France,  ignorant  and  irreligious,  were  unfitted  for  a  republic.  Uni- 
versal suffrage  threw  the  power  into  the  hands  of  millions  of  newly-emanci- 
pated slaves.  Violence  and  blood  commenced  their  reign.  The  Girondists 
in  vain  endeavored  to  stem  the  flood.  They  were  overwhelmed.  Such  is 
their  brief  history. 

The  Girondists  had  been  for  some  time  confined  in  the  dungeons  of  the 
Conciergerie.  They  were  in  a  state  of  extreme  misery.  Vergniaud,  one  of 
the  most  noble  and  eloquent  of  men,  was  their  recognized  leader.  His 
brother-in-law,  M.  Alluaud,  came  to  the  prison  to  bring  him  some  money. 
A  child  of  M.  Alluaud,  ten  years  of  age,  accompanied  his  father.  Seeing 
his  uncle  with  sunken  eyes  and  haggard  cheeks  and  disordered  hair,  and 
with  his  garments  falling  in  tatters  around  him,  the  child  was  terrified,  and, 
bursting  into  tears,  clung  to  his  father's  knees. 

"My  child,"  said  Vergniaud,  taking  him  in  his  lap,  "look  well  at  me. 
When  3'ou  are  a  man  you  can  say  that  you  saw  Vergniaud,  the  founder  of 
the  Eepublic,  at  the  most  glorious  period,  and  in  the  most  splendid  costume 
he  ever  wore — that  in  which  he  suffered  the  persecution  of  wretches,  and  in 
which  he  prepared  to  die  for  liberty." 

The  child  remembered  these  words,  and  repeated  them  fifty  years  after  to 
Lamartine.  At  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  26th  of  October  the  ac- 
cused were  brought  before  the  Revolutionary  Tribunal.  Two  files  of  gens 
(Tarmes  conducted  them  into  the  hall  of  audience  and  placed  them  on  the 
prisoners'  bench. f  The  act  of  accusation^  drawn  up  by  Eobespierre  and  St. 
Just,:}:  from  an  exceedingly  envenomed  pamphlet  written  by  Camille  Desmou- 
lins,  entitled  History  of  the  Faction  of  the  Gironde,  was  long  and  bitter.  The 
trial  lasted  several  days. 

On  the  30th  of  October,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the  debate  was 
closed.  At  midnight  they  were  summoned  to  the  bar  to  hear  the  verdict  of 
the  jury.  It  declared  them  all  guilty  of  treason,  and  condemned  them  to 
die  in  the  morning.  One  of  the  condemned,  Valaze,  immediately  plunged  a 
concealed  poniard  into  his  heart,  and  fell  dead  upon  the  floor.  Camille 
Desmoulins,  on  hearing  the  verdict,  was  overwhelmed  with  remorse,  and 
cried  out, 

"  It  is  my  pamphlet  which  has  killed  them.     "Wretch  that  I  am,  I  can  not 

*  Henry  S.  Randall,  Life  of  Jefferson,  vol.  i.,  p.  529. 

t  "  Never  since  the  Knights  Templar  had  a  party  appeared  more  numerous,  more  illustrious, 
or  more  eloquent.  The  renown  of  tlic  accused,  their  long  possession  of  power,  their  present  dan- 
ger, and  that  love  of  vengeance  which  arises  in  men's  hearts  at  the  spectacle  of  mighty  reverses 
of  fortune,  had  collected  a  crowd  in  the  precincts  of  the  Revolutionary  Tribunal.  A  strong  armed 
force  surrounded  the  gates  of  the  Conciergerie  and  the  Palais  de  Justice.  The  cannon,  the  uni- 
forms, the  sentinels,  the  gens  darmes,  the  naked  sabres,  all  announced  one  of  those  political  crises 
in  which  a  trial  is  a  battle  and  justice  an  execution." — Hist.  Gir.,  Lamartine,  vol.  ii.,  p.  169. 

X  Such  is  the  statement  of  Lamartine.  Thiers,  however,  says  that  the  act  was  drawn  up  by 
Amar,  a  barrister  of  Grenoble. 


1793.]  THE  JACOBINS  TRIUAIPHANT.  355 

bear  the  sight  of  my  work.     I  feel  their  blood  fall  on  the  hand  that  has  de- 
nounced them." 

There  were  two  brothers,  Fonfrede  and  Ducos,  among  the  condemned,  sit- 
ting side  by  side,  both  under  twenty-eight  years  of  age.  Fonfrede  threw  his 
afms  around  the  neck  of  Ducos,  and  bursting  into  tears  said, 

" My  dear  brother,!  cause  your  death ;  but  we  shall  die  together." 
Vergniaud  sat  in  silence,  with  an  expression  of  proud  defiance  and  con- 
tempt. Lasource  repeated  the  sententious  saying  of  one  of  the  ancients,  "  I 
die  on  the  day  when  the  people  have  lost  their  reason.  You  will  die  when 
they  have  recovered  it."  As  they  left  the  court  to  return  to  their  cells,  there 
to  prepare  for  the  guillotine,  they  spontaneously  struck  up  together  the  hymn 
of  the  Marseillais : 

"Allons,  onfans  de  la  patrie, 
Le  jour  de  gloire  est  arriv^ ; 
Centre  nous  de  la  tyrannic 

L'etendard  sanglant  est  leve."* 

As  they  passed  along  the  corridors  of  the  prison,  their  sublime  requiem 
echoed  along  the  gloomy  vaults,  and  awoke  the  sleepers  in  the  deepest  dun- 
geons. They  were  all  placed  in  one  large  room  opening  into  several  cells. 
The  lifeless  body  of  Valaze  was  deposited  in  one  of  the  corners ;  for,  by  a 
decree  of  the  Tribunal,  his  remains  were  to  be  taken  in  the  cart  of  the  con- 
demned to  be  beheaded  with  the  rest.  A  sumptuous  banquet  was  sent  in  to 
them  by  their  friends  as  their  last  repast.  The  table  was  richly  spread,  dec- 
orated with  flowers,  and  supplied  with  all  the  delicacies  which  Paris  could 
furnish.  A  Constitutional  priest,  the  Ahh6  Lambert,  a  friend  of  the  Girond- 
ists, had  obtained  admission  to  the  prison,  to  administer  to  them  the  last  sup- 
ports of  religion  and  to  accompany  them  to  the  guillotine.  To  him  we  are 
indebted  for  the  record  of  these  last  scenes. 

Vergniaud,  thirty-five  years  of  age,  presided.  He  had  but  little  to  bind 
him  to  life,  having  neither  father  nor  mother,  wife  nor  child.  In  quietness 
and  with  subdued  tones  they  partook  of  their  repast.  When  the  cloth  was 
removed,  and  the  flowers  and  the  wine  alone  remained,  the  conversation  be- 
came more  animated.  The  young  men  attempted  with  songs  and  affected 
gayety  to  disarm  death  of  its  terror ;  but  Vergniaud,  rallying  to  his  aid  his 
marvelous  eloquence,  endeavored  to  recall  them  to  more  worthy  thoughts. 

"  My  friends,"  said  he,  sorrowing  more  over  the  misfortunes  of  the  Repub- 
lic than  over  his  own,  "  we  have  killed  the  tree  by  pruning  it.  It  was  too 
aged.  The  soil  is  too  weak  to  nourish  the  roots  of  civic  liberty.  This  peo- 
ple is  too  childish  to  wield  its  laws  without  hurting  itself.  It  will  return  to 
its  kings  as  babes  return  to  their  toys.  We  were  deceived  as  to  the  age  in 
which  we  were  born  and  in  which  we  die  for  the  freedom  of  the  world." 

"What  shall  we  be  doing  to-morrow  at  this  time?"  asked  Ducos.  Each 
answered  according  to  Lis  skepticism  or  his  faith.  Vergniaud  again  spake. 
"Never,"  says  the  Abbe  Lambert,  "had  his  look,  his  gesture,  his  language, 

"Come,  children  of  your  country,  come, 
The  day  of  plory  dawns  on  high, 
And  tyranny  has  wide  unfurl'd 

Hor  blood-stained  banner  in  the  sky." 


856 


THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION. 


[Chap.  XXXIV. 


and  his  voice  more  profoundly  affected  his  hearers."  His  discourse  was  of 
the  immortality  of  the  soul,  to  which  all  listened  deeply  moved,  and  many 
wept. 

A  few  rays  of  morning  light  now  began  to  struggle  in  at  their  dungeon 
windows.  The  executioners  soon  entered  to  cut  oft' their  hair  and  robe  them 
for  the  scaffold.  At  ten  o'clock  they  were  marched  in  a  column  to  the  gate 
of  the  prison,  where  carts,  surrounded  by  an  immense  crowd,  awaited  them. 
As  they  entered  the  carts  they  all  commenced  singing  in  chorus  the  Mar- 
seilles Hymn,  and  continued  the  impassioned  strains  until  they  reached  the 
scaffold.    One  after  another  they  ascended  the  scaffold.    Sillery  was  the  first 


THK  OIEONDISTS  ON  TUEIB  WAY  TO  EXECUTION, 


1793.]  THE  JACOBINS  TRIUMPHANT.  357 

who  ascended.  He  was  bound  to  the  phmk,  but  continued  in  a  full,  strong 
voice  to  join  in  the  song,  till  the  glittering  axe  glided  down  the  groove  and 
his  head  dropped  into  the  basket.  Each  one  followed  his  example.  The 
song  grew  fainter  as  head  after  head  fell,  till  at  last  one  voice  only  remained. 
It  was  that  of  Vergniaud.  As  he  was  bound  to  the  plank  he  commenced 
anew  the  strain, 

"  Allons,  cnfans  do  la  patrie, 
Le  jour  de  gloirc  est  arrive." 

The  axe  fell,  and  the  lips  of  Vergniaud  were  silent  in  death.  In  thirty-one 
minutes  the  executioner  had  beheaded  them  all.  Their  bodies  were  thrown 
into  one  cart,  and  were  cast  into  a  grave  by  the  side  of  that  of  Louis  XVL* 

On  the  6th  of  November  the  Duke  of  Orleans  was  taken  from  prison  and 
led  before  the  Tribunal.  As  there  was  no  serious  charge  to  be  brought 
against  him,  he  had  not  apprehended  condemnation.  But  he  was  promptly 
doomed  to  die.  As  he  was  conducted  back  to  his  cell  to  prepare  for  imme- 
diate death,  he  exclaimed,  in  the  utmost  excitement  of  indignation, 

"  The  wretches  !  I  have  given  them  all — rank,  fortune,  ambition,  honor, 
the  future  reputation  of  my  house — and  this  is  the  recompense  they  reserve 
for  me !" 

At  three  o'clock  he  was  placed  in  the  cart  with  three  other  condemned 
prisoners.  The  prince  was  elegantly  attired  and  all  eyes  were  riveted  upon 
him.  With  an  air  of  indifference  he  gazed  upon  the  crowd,  saying  nothing 
which  could  reveal  the  character  of  his  thoughts.  On  mounting  the  scaffold 
the  executioner  wished  to  draw  off  his  boots. 

"No,  no,"  said  the  duke,  "j^ou  will  do  it  more  easily  afterward," 

He  looked  intently  for  a  moment  at  the  keen-edged  axe,  and,  without  a 
word,  submitted  to  his  fate.  Madame  Roland  and  others  of  the  most  illus- 
trious of  the  friends  of  freedom  and  of  France  soon  followed  to  the  scaffold. 
And  now  every  day  the  guillotine  was  active  as  the  efficient  agent  of  gov- 
ernment, extinguishing  all  opposition  and  silencing  every  murmur.  The 
prisons  were  full,  new  arrests  were  every  day  made,  and  dismay  paralyzed 
all  hearts.  Four  thousand  six  hundred  in  the  prisons  of  Paris  alone  were 
awaiting  that  trial  which  almost  surely  led  to  condemnation. 

The  Jacobin  leaders,  trembling  before  Europe  in  arms,  felt  that  there  was 
no  safety  for  France  but  in  the  annihilation  of  all  internal  foes.  Danton, 
Marat,  Robespierre,  were  not  men  who  loved  blood  and  cruelty  ;  they  were 
resolute  fanatics  who  believed  it  to  be  well  to  cut  off  the  heads  of  many  thou- 
sand reputed  aristocrats,  that  a  nation  of  thirty  millions  might  enjoy  popu- 
lar liberty.  AYhile  the  Revolutionary  Tribunal  was  thus  mercilessly  plying 
the  axe  of  the  executioner,  the  National  Convention,  where  these  Jacobins 
reigned  supreme,  were  enacting  many  laws  which  breathed  the  spirit  of  lib- 

*  Edmund  Burke,  has  most  unpardonably  calumniated  these  noble  men.  Even  Prof.  Sm'V'th, 
who  espous'.'S  his  ojiinions,  says,  "Burke  was  a  man  who,  from  the  ardor  of  his  temperament  and 
the  vehemence  of  his  eloquence,  might  be  almost  said  to  have  ruined  every  cause  and  every  party 
that  he  espoused.  No  mind,  however  great,  that  will  not  buw  to  the  superiority  of  his  genius ; 
yet  no  mind,  however  inferior,  that  will  not  occasionally  feel  itself  entitled  to  look  down  upon 
him,  from  the  total  want  which  he  sometimes  shows  of  all  calmness  and  candor,  and  even,  at  par- 
ticular moments,  of  all  reasonableness  and  propriety  of  thought." — Lectures  on  the  French  Revolu- 
tion, by  Wm.  Smyth,  vol.  iii.,  p.  4. 


358  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXIY. 

erty  and  humanity.  The  taxes  were  equally  distributed  in  proportion  to 
property.  Provision  was  made  for  the  poor  and  infirm.  All  orphans  were 
adopted  by  the  Republic.  Liberty  of  conscience  was  proclaimed.  Slavery 
and  the  slave-trade  were  indignantly  abolished.  Measures  were  adopted  for 
a  general  system  of  popular  instruction,  and  decisive  efforts  were  made  to 
unite  the  rich  and  the  poor  in  bonds  of  sympathy  and  alliance.* 

We  can  not  give  a  better  account  of  the  state  of  Paris  at  this  time  than  in 
the  words  of  Desodoards,  a  calm  philosophic  writer,  who  had  ardently  es- 
poused the  cause  of  the  Revolution,  and  who  consequently  will  not  be  sus- 
pected of  exaggeration. 

"What  then,"  says  he,  "was  this  Revolutionary  government?  Every 
right,  civil  and  political,  was  destroyed.  Liberty  of  the  press  and  of  thought 
was  at  an  end.  The  whole  people  were  divided  into  two  classes,  the  privi- 
leged and  the  proscribed.  Property  was  wantonly  violated,  leitres  de  cachet 
re-established,  the  asylum  of  dwellings  exposed  to  the  most  tyrannical  inqui- 
sition, and  justice  stripped  of  every  appearance  of  humanity  and  honor. 
France  was  covered  with  prisons ;  all  the  excesses  of  anarchy  and  despotism 
struggling  amid  a  confused  multitude  of  committees  ;  terror  in  every  heart ; 
the  scaifold  devouring  a  hundred  every  day,  and  threatening  to  devour  a 
still  greater  number ;  in  every  house  melancholy  and  mourning,  and  in  ev- 
ery street  the  silence  of  the  tomb. 

"  War  was  waged  against  the  tenderest  emotions  of  nature.  Was  a  tear 
shed  over  the  tomb  of  father,  wife,  or  friend,  it  was,  according  to  these  Jac- 
obins, a  robbery  of  the  Republic.  Not  to  rejoice  when  the  Jacobins  rejoiced 
was  treason  to  freedom.  All  the  mob  of  low  officers  of  justice,  some  of 
whom  could  scarcely  read,  sported  with  the  lives  of  men  without  the  slight- 
est shame  or  remorse.  Often  an  act  of  accusation  was  served  upon  one  per- 
son which  was  intended  for  another.  The  officer  only  changed  the  name  on 
perceiving  his  error,  and  often  did  not  change  it.  Mistakes  of  the  most  in- 
conceivable nature  were  made  with  impunity.  The  Duchess  of  Biron  was 
judged  by  an  act  drawn  up  against  her  agent.  A  young  man  of  twenty  was 
guillotined  for  having,  as  it  was  alleged,  a  son  bearing  arms  against  France. 
A  lad  of  sixteen,  by  the  name  of  Mallet,  was  arrested  under  an  indictment 
for  a  man  of  forty,  named  Bellay. 

"  '  What  is  your  age  T  inquired  the  president,  looking  at  him  with  some 
surprise. 

"  '  Sixteen,'  replied  the  youth. 

"  '  Well,  you  are  quite  forty  in  crime,'  said  the  magistrate ;  '  take  him  to 
the  guillotine.' 

"  From  every  corner  of  France  victims  were  brought  in  carts  to  the  Con- 
ciergerie.  This  prison  was  emptied  every  day  by  the  guillotine,  and  refilled 
from  other  prisons.  These  removals  were  made  in  the  dark,  lest  public 
sympathy  should  be  excited.  Fifty  or  sixty  poor  creatures,  strait  bound, 
conducted  by  men  of  ferocious  aspect,  a  drawn  sabre  in  one  hand  and  a  light- 
ed torch  in  the  other,  passed  in  this  manner  through  the  silence  of  night. 
The  passenger  who  chanced  to  meet  them  had  to  smother  his  pity.  A  sigh 
would  have  united  him  to  the  funeral  train. 

*  History  of  the  Girondists,  Lamartine,  vol.  iii.,  p.  291. 


1793.] 


THE  JACOBINS  TRIUMPHANT 


359 


"  The  prisons  were  the  abode  of  every  species  of  suffering.  The  despair 
which  reigned  in  these  sepulchres  was  terrific :  one  finished  his  existence 
by  poison  ;  another  dispatched  hinmself  by  a  nail ;  another  dasiied  his  head 
against  the  walls  of  his  cell ;  some  lost  their  reason.  Those  who  had  suffi- 
cient fortitude  waited  patiently  for  the  executioner.  Every  house  of  arrest 
was  required  to  furnish  a  certain  number  of  victims.     The  turnkeys  went 


BEADtNO  THE  U8T  OF  TIIB  TICTIM8  IN  THE  PEI80NS  OF  PAB18. 


360  '  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXIV. 

with  these  mandates  of  accusation  from  chamber  to  chamber  in  the  dead  of 
night.  The  prisoners,  starting  from  their  sleep  at  the  voice  of  their  Cerbe- 
ruses,  supposed  their  end  had  arrived.  Thus  warrants  of  death  for  thirty 
threw  hundreds  into  consternation.* 

"  At  first  the  sheriffs  ranged  fifteen  at  a  time  in  their  carts,  then  thirty, 
and  about  the  time  of  the  fall  of  Kobespierre  preparations  had  been  made 
for  the  execution  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  at  a  time.  An  aqueduct  had 
been  contrived  to  carry  off  the  blood.  In  these  batches,  as  they  were  called, 
were  often  united  people  of  the  most  opposite  systems  and  habits.  Some- 
times whole  generations  were  destroyed  in  a  day.  Malesherbes,  at  the  age 
of  eighty,  perished  with  his  sister,  his  daughter,  his  son-in-law,  his  grand- 
son, and  his  granddaughter.  Forty  young  women  were  brought  to  the 
guillotine  for  having  danced  at  a  ball  given  by  the  King  of  Prussia  at 
Verdun.  Twenty-two  peasant  women,  whose  husbands  had  been  executed 
in  La  Vendee,  were  beheaded." 

Such  was  the  thraldom  from  which,  at  last,  the  empire  of  Napoleon  res- 
cued France.  Nothing  less  than  the  strength  of  his  powerful  arm  could 
have  wrought  out  the  achievement. 

In  the  midst  of  such  scenes  it  is  not  strange  that  all  respect  should  have 
been  renounced  for  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  Jacobins  of  Paris 
crowded  the  Convention,  demanding  the  abjuration  of  all  forms  of  religion 
and  all  modes  of  worship.  They  governed  the  Convention  with  despotic 
sway.  The  Commune  of  Paris,  invested  with  the  local  police  of  the  city, 
passed  laws  prohibiting  the  clergy  from  exercising  religious  worship  outside 
the  churches.  None  but  friends  and  relatives  were  to  be  allowed  to  follow 
the  remains  of  the  dead  to  the  grave.  All  religious  symbols  were  ordered 
to  be  effaced  from  the  cemeteries,  and  to  be  replaced  by  a  statue  of  Sleep. 
The  following  ravings  of  Anacharsis  Cloots,  a  wealthy  Prussian  baron,  who 
styled  himself  the  orator  of  the  human  race,  and  who  was  one  of  the  most 
conspicuous  of  the  Jacobin  agitators,  forcibly  exhibits  the  spirit  of  the  times  :f 

"  Paris,  the  metropolis  of  the  globe,  is  the  proper  post  for  the  orator  of 
the  human  race.  I  have  not  left  Paris  since  1789.  It  was  then  that  I  re- 
doubled my  zeal  against  the  pretended  sovereigns  of  earth  and  heaven.  I 
boldly  preached  that  there  is  no  other  god  but  Nature,  no  other  sovereign 
but  the  human  race — the  people-god.  The  people  is  sufficient  for  itself. 
Nature  kneels  not  before  herself  Religion  is  the  only  obstacle  to  universal 
happiness.     It  is  high  time  to  destroy  it." 

The  popular  current  in  Paris  now  set  very  strongly  against  all  religion. 
Infidel  and  atheistic  principles  were  loudly  proclaimed.  The  unlettered 
populace,  whose  fiith  was  but  superstition,  were  easily  swept  along  by  the 
current.  The  Convention  made  a  feeble  resistance,  but  soon  yielded  to  the 
general  impulse.  In  the  different  sections  of  Paris,  gatherings  of  the  popu- 
lace abjured  all  religion.     The  fanaticism  spread  like  wild-fire  to  the  distant 

*  "  There  were  in  the  prisons  of  Paris  on  the  1st  of  September,  1793,  .")07  ;  October  1,  2400; 
November  1,  3203;  December  1,  4130;  and  in  six  months  after,  11,400." — Hist.  Phil,  de  hRev. 
de  France,  par  Ant.  Fantin  Desodoards. 

t  Cloots  declared  himself  "the  personal  enemy  of  Jesus  Christ."  France  adopted  the  athe- 
istic principles  of  Cloots,  and  sent  him  to  the  guillotine.     See  article  Cloots,  Enc.  Am. 


1793.]  FALL  OF  THE  HEBEKTISTS  AND  OF  THE  DANTONISTS.  361 

departments.  The  churches  were  stripped  of  their  baptismal  plate  and 
other  treasures,  and  the  plunder  was  sent  to  the  Convention.  Processions 
paraded  the  streets,  singing,  derisively,  Hallelujahs,  and  proiaumg  with  sacri- 
legious caricature  all  the  ceremonies  of  religion.  The  sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  was  administered  to  an  ass.  n    .  ^i 

The  Convention  had  appointed  a  committee  of  twelve  men,  called  the 
Committee  of  Public  Safety,  and  invested  them  with  dictatorial  power,  i  he 
whole  revolutionary  power  was  now  lodged  in  their  hands.  They  appoint- 
ed such  sub-committees  as  they  pleased,  and  governed  France  with  terrific 
energy  The  Revolutionary  Tribunal  was  but  one  of  their  committees. 
In  all  the  departments  they  established  their  agencies.  The  Convention 
itself  became  powerless  before  this  appalling  despotism.  This  dictatorship 
was  energetically  supported  by  the  mob  of  Paris;  and  the  city  government 
of  Paris  was  composed  of  the  most  violent  Jacobms,  who  were  m  perfect 
fraternity  with  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety.  St.  Just,  who  proposed  in 
the  Convention  the  establishment  of  this  dictatorship,  said, 

"You  must  no  longer  show  any  lenity  to  the  enemies  of  the  new  order 
of  thino-s.  Liberty  must  triumph  at  any  cost.  In  the  present  circumstances 
of  the  Republic  the  Constitution  can  not  be  established;  it  would  guarantee 
impunity  to  attacks  on  our  liberty,  because  it  would  be  deficient  m  the 
violence  necessary  to  restrain  them." 

This  Committee,  overawing  the  Convention,  constrained  the  estabhshment 
of  a  new  era.  To  obliterate  the  Sabbath,  they  divided  the  year  into  twelve 
months  of  thirty  days  each,  each  month  to  consist  of  three  weeks  often 
days  each.  The  tenth  day  was  devoted  to  festivals.  The  five  surplus  days 
were  placed  at  the  end  of  the  year,  and  were  consecrated  to  games  and  re- 
ioicino-  Thus  energetically  were  measures  adopted  to  obliterate  entirely 
all  trances  of  the  Sabbath.  There  were  thousands  in  France  who  looked 
upon  these  measures  with  unutterable  disgust,  but  they  were  overwhelmed 
by  the  powers  of  anarchy.  Anxiously  they  waited  for  a  deliverer  In 
Napoleon  they  found  one,  who  was  alike  the  foe  of  the  despotism  of  the 
Bourbons  and  the  despotism  of  the  mob. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

FALL   OF   THE   HEBERTISTS   AND   OF  THE  DANTONISTS. 
Continued  Persecution  of  the  Gironclists.-Kobespiorre  oppo^^s  the  A.heists.-Danton,  Souber 
bielle,  and  CainiUo  Desmoulins.-Tl>e  Vien.   CordeUer-Th.  Hebertists  executed.-Danton 
assailed  -Litorview  hctwc-en  Danton  and  Kohespi-rre—Danton  warned  of  Ins  Peril.-Ca- 
"me  D;snK,«lins  and  others  arrested. -Lucilo,  the  Wife  of  Desmoulins.-Letters.-Execut^on 
of  the  Dantonists.-Arrest  and  Execution  of  Lucile.-Toulon  recovered  by  Bonaparte. 

The  leaders  of  the  Girondists  were  now  destroyed,  and  the  remnants  of 
the  party  were  prosecuted  with  unsparing  ferocity.  On  the  11th  of  Novem- 
ber Bailly,  the  former  mayor,  the  friend  of  La  Fayette,  the  philanthropist 
and  the  scholar,  was  dragged  to  the  scaffold.  The  day  was  cold  and  rainy 
His  crime  was  having  unfuried  the  red  flag  in  the  Field  of  Mars,  to  quell 
Vol.  n.-r^ 


362  THE  FKENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXY. 

the  riot  there,  on  the  17th  of  July,  1791.  He  was  condemned  to  be  exe- 
cuted on  the  field  which  was  the  theatre  of  his  alleged  crime.  Behind  the 
cart  which  carried  him  they  affixed  the  flag  which  he  had  spread.  A  crowd 
followed,  heaping  upon  him  the  most  cruel  imprecations.  On  reaching  the 
scaffold,  some  one  cried  out  that  the  field  of  the  federation  ought  not  to  be 
polluted  with  his  blood.  Immediately  the  mob  rushed  upon  the  guillotine, 
tore  it  down,  and  erected  it  again  upon  a  dunghill  on  the  banks  of  the 
Seine.  They  dragged  Bailly  from  the  tumbril,  and  compelled  him  to  make 
the  tour  of  the  Field  of  Mars  on  foot.  Bareheaded,  with  his  hands  bound 
behind  him,  and  with  no  other  garment  than  a  shirt,  the  sleet  glued  his 
hair  and  froze  upon  his  breast.  They  pelted  him  with  mud,  spat  in  his 
face,  and  whipped  him  with  the  flag,  which  they  dipped  in  the  gutters. 
The  old  man  fell  exhausted.  They  lifted  him  up  again,  and  goaded  him 
on.  Blood,  mingled  with  mire,  streamed  down  his  face,  depriving  him  of 
human  aspect.  Shouts  of  derision  greeted  these  horrors.  The  freezing 
wind  and  exhaustion  caused  an  involuntary  shivering.  Some  one  cried 
out,  "You  tremble,  Bailly."  "Yes,  my  friend,"  replied  the  heroic  old  man, 
"but  it  is  with  cold."*  After  five  hours  of  such  a  martyrdom,  the  axe  re- 
leased him  from  his  sufferings. 

Pdtion  and  Buzot  wandered  many  days  and  nights  in  the  forest.  At 
length  their  remains  were  found,  half  devoured  by  wolves.  Whether  they 
perished  of  cold  and  starvation,  or  sought  relief  from  their  misery  in  volun- 
tary death,  is  not  known. 

The  illustrious  Condorcet,  alike  renowned  for  his  philosophical  genius 
and  his  eloquent  advocacy  of  popular  rights,  had  been  declared  an  outlaw. 
For  several  months  he  had  been  concealed  in  the  house  of  Madame  Yerney, 
a  noble  woman,  who  periled  her  own  life  that  she  might  save  that  of  her 
friend.  At  last  Condorcet,  learning  from  the  papers  that  death  was  de- 
nounced against  all  who  concealed  a  proscribed  individual,  resolved,  at 
every  hazard,  to  leave  the  roof  of  his  benefactress.  For  some  time  he  wan- 
dered through  the  fields  in  disguise,  until  he  was  arrested  and  thrown  into 
prison.  On  the  following  morning,  March  28,  1794,  he  was  found  dead  on 
the  floor  of  his  room,  having  swallowed  poison,  which  for  some  time  he 
carried  about  with  him. 

"  It  would  be  difficult  in  that  or  any  other  age  to  find  two  men  of  more 
active  or,  indeed,  enthusiastic  benevolence  than  Condorcet  and  La  Fayette. 
Besides  this,  Condorcet  was  one  of  the  most  profound  thinkers  of  his  time, 
and  will  be  remembered  as  long  as  genius  is  honored  among  us.  La  Fay- 
ette was  no  doubt  inferior  to  Condorcet  in  point  of  ability,  but  he  was  the 
intimate  friend  of  "Washington,  on  whose  conduct  he  modeled  his  own,  and 
by  whose  side  he  had  fought  for  the  liberties  of  America;  his  integrity  was, 
and  still  is,  unsullied,  and  his  character  had  a  chivalrous  and  noble  turn 
which  Burke,  in  his  better  days,  would  have  been  the  first  to  admire. 
Both,  however,  were  natives  of  that  hated  country  whose  liberties  they 

*  "Few  victims  ever  met  with  viler  executioners;  few  executioners  with  so  exalted  a  victim. 
Shame  at  the  foot  of  the  scaflFold,  glory  above,  and  pity  every  where.  One  blushes  to  be  a  man 
in  contemplating  tliis  people.  One  glories  in  this  title  in  contemplating  Bailly." — Lamartine, 
Hist.  Gir.,  vol.  iii.,  p.  282. 


1793.]        FALL  OF  THE  HEBERTISTS  AND  OF  THE  DANTONISTS.  363 


DEATH  OF  CONDOEOET. 


vainly  attempted  to  acldeve.  On  this  account  Burke  declared  Condorcet 
to  be  guilty  of  'impious  sophistry,'  to  be  a  'fanatic  atheist  and  furious  dem- 
ocratic republican,'  and  to  be  capable  of  the  '  lowest  as  well  as  the  highest 
and  most  determined  villainies.'  As  to  La  Fayette,  when  an  attempt  was 
made  to  mitigate  the.  cruel  treatment  he  was  receiving  from  the  Prussian 
government,  Burke  not  only  opposed  the  motion  made  for  that  purpose  in 
the  House  of  Commons,  but  took  the  opportunity  of  grossly  insulting  the 
unfortunate  captive,  who  was  then  languishing  in  a  dungeon.  So  dead  had 
he  become  on  this  subject,  even  to  the  common  instincts  of  our  nature,  that 
in  his  place  in  parliament  he  could  find  no  better  way  of  speaking  of  this 
injured  and  high-souled  man  than  by  calling  him  a  ruffian.  'I  would  not,' 
sa3^s  Burke,  '  debase"^  my  humanity  by  supporting  an  application  in  behalf 
of  so  horrid  a  ruffian.'  "f 

Madame  Eoland  was  led  to  the  guillotine,  evincing  heroism  which  the 
world  has  never  seen  surpassed.  Her  husband,  in  anguish,  unable  to  sur- 
vive her,  and  hunted  by  those  thirsting  for  his  blood,  anticipated  the  guillo- 
tine by  plunging  a  stiletto  into  his  own  heart. 

Dan  ton  and  Robespierre  were  both  opposed  to  such  cruel  executions,  and 
especially  to  the  establishment  in  France  of  that  system  of  atheism  which 
degraded  man  into  merely  the  reptile  of  an  hour.  When  Eobespierre  was 
informed  of  the  atrocities  which  attended  the  execution  of  Bailly,  in  shame 

*  In  Pari.  Hist.,  "I  would  not  debauch  my  humanity." 

t  History  of  Civilization  in  England,  by  Henry  Thomas  Buckle,  vol.  i.,  p.  338. 


36"i  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXV 

and  grief  he  shut  himself  up  in  his  room,  saying,  with  prophetic  foresight, 
to  his  host  DupLaj,  "  It  is  thus  that  they  will  martyrize  ourselves." 

Hebert*  and  the  atheists  were  now  dominant  in  the  Commune  of  Paris, 
and  Dan  ton  and  Eobespierre  organized  a  party  to  crush  them,  llebei't  soon 
saw  indications  of  this  movement,  and  began  to  tremble.  He  complained 
in  the  Jacobin  Club  that  Eobespierre  and  Danton  were  plotting  against  him. 
Robespierre  was  present  on  the  occasion,  and,  with  his  accustomed  audacity, 
immediately  ascended  the  tribune  and  hurled  his  anathemas  upon  the  heads 
of  these  blood-crimsoned  fimatics. 

"  There  are  men,"  said  he,  "  who,  under  the  pretext  of  destroying  supersti- 
tion, would  fain  make  a  sort  of  religion  of  atheism  itself.  Every  man  has  a 
right  to  think  as  he  pleases ;  w^hoever  would  make  a  crime  of  this  is  a  mad- 
man. But  the  legislator  who  should  adopt  the  system  of  atheism  would  be 
a  hundred  times  more  insane.  The  National  Convention  abhors  such  a 
system.  It  is  a  political  bodj-,  not  a  maker  of  creeds.  Atheism  is  aristocratic. 
The  idea  of  a  great  Being  who  watches  over  oppressed  innocence  and  who 
punishes  triumphant  guilt  is  quite  pcpular.  The  people,  the  unfortunate, 
ap{)laud  me.     If  God  did  not  exist,  it  ivould  behoove  man  to  invent  himy 

One  of  the  last  evenings  in  the  month  of  January,  Danton,  Souberbielle, 
one  of  the  members  of  the  Revolutionary  Tribunal,  and  Camille  Desmoulins 
came  from  the  Palace  of  Justice  together.  It  was  a  cold  gloomy  winter's 
night.  It  had  been  a  day  of  blood.  Fifteen  heads  had  fallen  upon  the 
guillotine  and  twenty-seven  were  condemned  to  die  on  the  morrow.  These 
three  men  were  all  appalled  by  the  progress  of  events,  and  for  some  time 
walked  along  in  silence.  On  reaching  Pont  Neuf,  Danton  turned  suddenly 
round  to  Souberbielle  and  said, 

*'  Do  you  know  that,  at  the  pace  we  are  now  going,  there  will  speedily  be 
no  safety  for  any  person?  The  best  patriots  are  confounded  with  traitors. 
Generals  who  have  shed  their  blood  foi  the  Republic  perish  on  the  scaffold. 
I  am  weary  of  living.  Look  there  ;  the  very  river  seems  to  flow  with 
blood." 

"True,"  replied  Souberbielle,  "the  sky  is  red,  and  there  are  many  show- 
ers of  blood  behind  those  clouds.  Those  who  were  to  be  judges  have  be- 
come but  executioners.  When  I  refuse  an  innocent  head  to  their  knife  I 
am  accused  of  sympatliv  with  traitors.  What  can  I  do?  I  am  but  an  ob- 
scure patriot.     Ah,  if  I  were  Danton  !" 

"  All  this,"  replied  Danton,  "  excites  horror  in  me.  But  be  silent.  Dan- 
ton sleeps  ;  he  will  awake  at  the  right  moment.  I  am  a  man  of  revolution, 
but  not  a  man  of  slaughter.  But  you,"  he  added,  addressing  Camille  Des- 
moulins, "why  do  you  keep  silence?" 

*  Hebert  was  a  low  fellow,  impudent,  ignorant,  and  corrupt,  and  connected  with  one  of  the 
theatres  in  Paris.  He  was  an  ardent  Jacobin,  and  established  a  paper  called  "  Father  Du- 
chesne," which,  from  its  ribaldry,  was  eagerly  sought  for  by  the  populace.  He  was  one  of  the 
leaders  of  the  prison  massacres  on  the  10th  of  August.  His  ])aj)er  was  the  zealous  advocate  of 
atheism.  He  it  was  who  brought  the  disgusting  charge  against  the  queen  that  she  had  endeav- 
ored to  pollute  her  own  son,  and  had  committed  incest  with  him,  a  child  of  eight  years.  Robes- 
pierre even  was  indignant  at  the  foul  accusation,  and  exclaimed,  "  Madman  !  was  it  not  enough 
for  him  to  have  asserted  that  she  was  a  Messalina,  without  also  making  an  Agrippina  of  her?"— 
Siographie  Modeme. 


1794.]         lALL  OF  THE  HEBERTISTS  AND  OF  THE  DANTONISTS.  365 

"  I  am  weary  of  silence,."  was  Desmoulins's  reply.  "  My  hand  weighs 
heavily,  and  I  have  sometimes  the  impulse  to  sharpen  my  pen  into  a  dagger 
and  stab  these  scoundrels.  Let  them  beware.  My  ink  is  more  indelible 
than  their  blood.     It  stains  for  immortality." 

"  Bravo !"  cried  Danton.  "  Begin  to-morrow.  You  began  the  Eevolution ; 
be  it  you  who  shall  now  most  thoroughly  urge  it.  Be  assured  this  hand 
shall  aid  you.     You  know  whether  or  not  it  be  strong." 

The  three  friends  separated  at  Danton's  door.  The  doom  of  the  misera- 
ble Hebert  and  his  party  was  now  sealed.  Robespierre,  Danton,  and  Camille 
Desmoulins  were  against  him.  They  could  wield  resistless  influences.  The 
next  day  Camille  Desmoulins  commenced  a  series  of  papers  called  the  Vieux 
Cordelier.  He  took  the  first  number  to  Danton  and  then  to  Robespierre. 
They  both  approved,  and  the  warfare  against  Hebert  and  his  party  was  com- 
menced. The  conflict  was  short  and  desperate ;  each  party  knew  that  the 
guillotine  was  the  doom  of  the  vanquished.*  Robespierre  and  Danton  were 
victors.  Hebert,  Cloots,  and  their  friends,  nineteen  in  number,  were  arrest- 
ed and  condemned  to  death.  On  the  24th  of  March,  1794,  five  carts  laden 
with  the  Hebertists  proceeded  from  the  Conciergerie  to  the  guillotine. 
Cloots  died  firmly.  Hebert  was  in  a  paroxysm  of  terror,  which  excited  the 
contempt  and  derision  of  the  mob. 

The  bold  invectives  against  the  Reign  of  Terror  in  the  Vieux  Cordelier, 
written  by  Desmoulins,  began  to  alarm  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety. 
Danton  and  Robespierre  were  implicated.  They  were  accused  of  favoring 
moderate  measures,  and  of  being  opposed  to  those  acts  of  bloody  rigor  which 
were  deemed  necessary  to  crush  the  aristocrats.  Danton  and  Desmoulins 
were  in  favor  of  a  return  to  mercy.  Robespierre,  though  opposed  to  cruelty 
and  to  needless  carnage,  was  sternly  for  death  as  the  doom  of  every  one  not 
warmly  co-operating  with  the  Revolution.  To  save  himself  from  suspicion 
he  became  the  accuser  of  his  two  friends.  And  now  it  came  the  turn  of 
Danton  and  Desmoulins  to  tremble.  For  five  years  Danton  and  Robespierre 
had  fought  together  to  overthrow  roj^alty  and  found  the  Republic.  But 
Danton  was  disgusted  with  carnage,  and  had  withdrawn  from  the  Committee 
of  Public  Safety. 

"  Danton,  do  you  know,"  said  Eglantine  to  him  one  day,  "  of  what  j^ou  are 
accused  ?  They  say  that  j^ou  have  only  launched  the  car  of  the  Revolution 
to  enrich  yourself,  while  Robespierre  has  remained  poor  in  the  midst  of  the 
monarchical  treasures  thrown  at  his  feet." 

*  In  this  celebrated  pamphlet,  the  "Old  Cordelier."  Desmoulins  thus  powerfully  describes 
France,  while  pretending  to  describe  Rome  under  tiie  emperors  :  "Every  thing,  under  that  ter- 
rible povernmcnt,  was  made  the  groundwork  of  susjiicion.  Does  a  oiiizen  avoid  society  and  live 
retired  by  his  fireside?  That  is  to  ruminate  in  private  on  sinister  designs.  Is  he  rich?  That 
renders  the  danger  greater  that  he  will  corrupt  the  citizens  by  his  largesses.  Is  he  poor?  None 
so  dangerous  as  those  who  have  nothing  to  lose.  Is  he  thoughtful  and  melancholy?  He  is  re- 
volving what  he  calls  the  calamities  of  his  country.  Is  he  gay  and  dissipated?  He  is  conceal- 
ing, liks  Caesar,  ambition  under  the  mask  of  pleasure.  T!ie  natural  death  of  a  celebrated  man 
has  become  so  rare  that  historians  transmit  it,  as  a  matter  worthy  of  record,  to  future  ages.  The 
tribunals,  once  the  protectors  of  life  and  property,  have  become  the  mere  organs  of  butchery." 

Speaking  of  Hebert,  he  said,  "Hebert,  the  head  of  this  turbulent  and  atrocious  faction,  is  a 
miserable  intriguer,  a  caterer  for  the  guillotine,  a  traitor  paid  by  Pitt,  a  thief  expelled  for  theft 
from  his  office  of  check-taker  at  a  theatre." — Le  Vieux  Cordelier. 


366  THE  FEENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXY 

"Well,"  replied  Danton,  "do  you  know  what  tliat  proves?  that  I  love 
gold,  and  that  Robespierre  loves  blood.  Robespierre  is  afraid  of  money  lest 
it  should  stain  his  hands." 

Robespierre  earnestly  wished  to  associate  Danton  with  him  in  all  the  rigor 
of  the  Revolutionary  government,  for  he  respected  the  power  of  this  bold, 
indomitable  man.  They  met  at  a  dinner-party,  through  the  agency  of  a  mu- 
tual friend,  when  matters  were  brought  to  a  crisis.  They  engaged  in  a  dis- 
pute, Danton  denouncing  and  reviling  the  acts  of  the  Revolutionary  Tribu- 
nal, and  Robespierre  defending  them,  until  they  separated  in  anger.  The 
friends  of  Danton  urged  him  either  to  escape  by  flight  or  to  take  advantage 
of  his  popularity  and  throw  himself  upon  the  army. 

"  My  life  is  not  worth  the  trouble,"  said  Danton.  "  Besides,  I  am  weary 
of  blood.  I  had  rather  be  guillotined  than  be  a  guillotiner.  They  dare  not 
attack  me.     I  am  stronger  than  they." 

A  secret  meeting  of  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety  was  convened  by 
night,  and  Danton  was  accused  of  the  "treason  of  clemency."  A  subaltern 
door-keeper  heard  the  accusation,  and  ran  to  Danton's  house  to  warn  him  of 
his  peril  and  to  offer  him  an  asylum.  The  young  and  beautiful  wife  of  Dan- 
ton, with  tears  in  her  eyes,  threw  herself  at  his  feet,  and  implored  him,  for 
her  sake  and  for  that  of  their  children,  to  accept  the  proffered  shelter.  Dan- 
ton proudly  refused,  saying, 

"  They  will  deliberate  long  before  they  will  dare  to  strike  a  man  like  me. 
While  they  deliberate  I  will  surprise  them." 

He  dismissed  the  door-keeper  and  retired  to  bed.  At  six  o'clock  gens 
cCarmes  entered  his  room  with  the  order  for  his  arrest. 

"  They  dare,  then,"  said  Danton,  crushing  the  paper  in  his  hand.  "  They 
are  bokler  than  I  had  thought  them  to  be." 

He  dressed,  embraced  his  wife  convulsivel}^,  and  was  conducted  to  prison. 
At  the  same  hour  Camille  Desmoulins  and  fourteen  others,  the  supposed  par- 
tisans of  Danton,  were  also  arrested.  It  was  the  31st  of  March.  Danton  was 
taken  to  the  Luxembourg.  Here  he  found  Desmoulins  and  his  other  friends 
already  incarcerated.  As  Danton  entered  the  gloomy  portals  of  the  prison 
he  saici, 

"  At  length  I  perceive  that,  in  revolutions,  the  supreme  power  ultimately 
rests  with  the  most  abandoned."* 

A  crowd  of  the  detained  immediately  gathered  around  liim,  amazed  at  that 
freak  of  fortune  which  had  cast  the  most  distinguished  leader  of  the  Jaco- 
bins into  the  dungeons  of  the  accused.  Danton  was  humiliated  and  annoyed 
by  the  gaze,  and  endeavored  to  veil  his  embarrassment  under  the  guise  of 
derision. 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  raising  his  head  and  forcing  loud  laughter,  "it  is  Danton. 
Look  at  him  well.  The  trick  is  well  played.  We  must  know  how  to  praise 
our  en(Mni(>s  wlien  they  conduct  adroitly.  I  would  never  have  believed  thnt 
Robespierre  could  have  juggled  me  thus."  Then  softening,  and  growing 
more  sincere^  he  said,  "  Gentlemen,  I  hoped  to  have  been  the  means  of  deliv- 
ering you  all  from  this  place;  l3ut  here  I  am  among  you,  and  no  one  can 
tell  where  this  will  end." 

*  Rioufle,  p.  67. 


1794.]        FALL  OF  THE  HEBERTISTS  AND  OF  THE  DANTONISTS.  367 

The  accused  Dantonists-accused  of  advocating  moderate  measures  in  tlie 
treatment  of  the  enemies  of  the  Revolution-were  soon  shut  up  m  separate 
cells  The  report  of  the  arrest  of  men  of  such  acknowledged  power,  and 
who*  had  been  so  popular  as  patriots,  spread  anxiety  and  gloom  through 
Paris.  The  warmest  friends  of  the  arrested  dared  not  plead  their  cause ;  it 
would  only  have  imperiled  their  own  lives.  _ 

Even  in  the  Assembly  great  excitement  was  produced  by  these  important 
arrests.  The  members  gathered  in  groups  and  spoke  to  each  other  m  whis- 
pers, inquiring  what  all  this  meant  and  where  it  was  to  end.  At  last,  L6- 
gendre  ventured  to  ascend  the  tribune,  and  said, 

"Citizens,  four  members  of  this  Assembly  have  been  arrested  during  the 
night  Danton  is  one.  I  know  not  the  others.  Citizens,  I  declare  that  I 
believe  Danton  to  be  as  pure  as  myself;  yet  he  is  in  a  dungeon.  They  fear- 
ed no  doubt,  that  his  replies  would  overturn  the  accusations  brought  against 
him.  I  move,  therefore,  that,  before  you  listen  to  any  report,  you  send  for 
the  prisoners  and  hear  them." 

Robespierre  immediately  ascended  the  tribune  and  replied, 
"By  the  unusual  agitation  which  pervades  this  Assembly— by  the  sensa- 
tion the  words  of  the  speaker  you  have  just  heard  have  produced,  it  is  man- 
ifest that  a  question  of  great  interest  is  before  us— a  question  whether  two 
or  three  individuals  shall  be  preferred  to  the  country.  The  question  to-day 
is  whether  the  interests  of  certain  ambitious  hypocrites  shall  prevail  over 
the  interests  of  the  French  nation.  Legendre  appears  not  to  know  the  names 
of  those  who  have  been  arrested.  All  the  Convention  knows  them.  His 
friend  Lacroix  is  among  the  prisoners.  Why  does  he  pretend  to  be  ignorant 
of  it?  Because  he  knows  that  he  can  not  defend  Lacroix  without  shame. 
He  has  spoken  of  Danton,  doubtless  because  he  thinks  that  a  privilege  is  at- 
tached to  this  name.  No!  we  will  have  no  privilege.  No!  we  will  have 
no  idols  We  shall  see  to-day  whether  the  Convention  will  break  a  lalse 
idol,  long  since  decayed,  or  whether  in  its  fall  it  will  crush  the  Convention 
and  the  French  people.  . 

"I  say  whoever  now  trembles  is  guilty,  for  never  does  innocence  dread 
public  surveillance.  Me,  too,  have  they  tried  to  alarm.  It  has  been  at- 
tempted to  make  me  believe  that  the  danger  which  threatens  Danton  might 
reach  me.  I  have  been  written  to.  The  friends  of  Danton  have  sent  me 
their  letters ;  have  besieged  me  with  their  importunities.  They  have  thought 
that  the  remembrance  of  a  former  acquaintance,  that  a  past  belief  m  false 
virtues  might  determine  me  to  relax  in  my  zeal  and  my  passion  for  liberty 
Well  then  I  declare  that  none  of  these  motives  have  touched  my  soul  with 
the  slightest  impression;  my  life  is  for  my  country,  my  heart  is  exempt 

from  fear.  .      . 

"  I  have  seen  in  the  flattery  which  has  been  addressed  to  me,  m  the  con- 
cern of  those  who  surrounded  Danton,  only  signs  of  the  terror  which  they 
felt  even  before  thev  were  threatened.  And  I,  too,  have  been  the  fnend  ot 
Pdtion ;  as  soon  as  he  was  unmasked  I  abandoned  him.  I  have  also  been 
acquainted  with  Roland ;  he  became  a  traitor  and  I  denounced  him.  Dan- 
ton would  take  their  place,  and  in  my  eyes  he  is  but  an  enemy  to  his  coun- 
try." 


368  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChaP.  XXXV. 

Ldgendre,  appalled,  immediately  retracted,  and  trembling  for  his  life,  like  a 
whipped  spaniel,  crouched  before  the  terrible  dictator.  At  that  moment  St. 
Just  came  in,  and  read  a  long  report  against  the  members  under  arrest. 
The  substance  of  the  vague  and  rambling  charges  was  that  they  had  been 
bought  up  by  the  aristocrats  and  were  enemies  to  their  country.  The  As- 
sembly listened  without  a  murmur,  and  then  unanimously,  and  even  with 
applause,  voted  the  impeachment  of  Danton  and  his  friends.  "  Every  one 
sought  to  gain  time  with  tyranny,  and  gave  up  others'  heads  to  save  his 
own."* 

The  Dantonists  were  men  of  mark,  and  they  now  drank  deeply  of  that 
bitter  chalice  which  they  had  presented  to  so  many  lips.  Camille  Desmou- 
lins,  young,  brilliant,  enthusiastic,  was  one  of  the  most  fascinating  of  men. 
His  youthful  and  beautiful  wife,  Lucile,  he  loved  to  adoration.  They  had 
one  infant  child,  Horace,  their  pride  and  joy.  Camille  was  asleep  in  the 
arms  of  his  wife  when  the  noise  of  the  butt  end  of  a  musket  on  the  threshold 
of  his  door  aroused  him.  As  the  soldiers  presented  the  order  for  his  arrest, 
he  exclaimed,  in  anguish,  "  This,  then,  is  the  recompense  of  the  first  voice 
of  the  Revolution." 

Embracing  his  wife  for  the  last  time,  and  imprinting  a  kiss  upon  the 
cheek  of  his  child  asleep  in  the  cradle,  he  was  hurried  to  prison.  Lucile, 
frantic  with  grief,  ran  through  the  streets  of  Paris  to  plead  with  Robespierre 
and  others  for  her  husband ;  but  her  lamentations  were  as  unavailing  as  the 
moaning  wind.     In  the  following  tender  strain  Camille  wrote  his  wife : 

"  My  prison  recalls  to  my  mind  the  garden  where  I  spent  eight  years  in 
beholding  you.  A  glimpse  of  the  garden  of  the  Luxembourg  brings  back 
to  me  a  crowd  of  remembrances  of  our  loves.  I  am  alone,  but  never  have 
I  been  in  thought,  imagination,  feeling  nearer  to  you,  your  mother,  and  to 
my  little  Horace.  I  am  going  to  pass  all  my  time  in  prison  in  writing  to 
you.  I  cast  myself  at  your  knees  ;  I  stretch  out  my  arms  to  embrace  you; 
I  find  you  no  more.  Send  me  the  glass  on  which  are  our  two  names ;  a 
book,  which  I  bought  some  days  ago,  on  the  immortality  of  the  soul.  I 
have  need  of  persuading  myself  that  there  is  a  God  more  just  than  man,  and 
that  I  can  not  fail  to  see  you  again.  Do  not  grieve  too  much  over  my 
thoughts,  dearest ;  I  do  not  yet  despair  of  men.  Yes  !  my  beloved,  we  will 
see  ourselves  again  in  the  garden  of  the  Luxembourg.  Adieu,  Lucile! 
Adieu,  Horace  1  I  can  not  embrace  you ;  but  in  the  tears  which  I  shed  it  ap- 
pears that  I  press  you  again  to  my  bosom.  Thy  Camille." 

Lucile,  frantic  with  grief,  made  the  most  desperate  eftbrts  to  gain  access 
to  Robespierre,  but  she  was  sternly  repulsed.  She  then  thus  imploringly 
wrote  to  him, 

"  Can  you  accuse  us  of  treason,  you  who  have  profited  so  much  by  the  ef- 
forts we  have  made  for  our  country  ?  Camille  has  seen  the  birth  of  your 
pride,  th(^  path  you  desired  to  tread,  but  he  has  recalled  your  ancient  fi'iend- 
ship  and  shrunk  from  the  idea  of  accusing  a  friend,  a  companion  of  his  la* 

*  Mignet,  p.  245. 


1794.]         FALL  OF  THE  HEBERTISTS  AND  OF  THE  DANTONISTS.  369 

bors.  That  hand  which  has  pressed  yours  has  too  soon  abandoned  the  pen, 
since  it  could  no  longer  trace  your  i)raise;  and  you,  you  send  him  to'deatli. 
But,  Robespierre,  will  you  really  accomplish  the  deadly  projects  which  doubt- 
less the  vile  souls  which  surround  you  have  inspired  you  with  ?  Have  you 
forgotten  those  bonds  which  Camille  never  recalls  without  grief?  you  who 
prayed  for  our  union,  who  joined  our  hands  in  yours,  who  have  smiled  upon 
my  son  whose  infantile  hands  have  so  often  caressed  you  ?  Can  you,  then, 
reject  my  prayers,  despise  my  tears,  and  trample  justice  under  foot?  For 
you  know  it  yourself,  we  do  not  merit  the  fate  they  are  preparing  for  us, 
and  you  can  avert  it.  If  it  strike  us,  it  is  you  who  will  have  ordered  it. 
But  what  is,  then,  the  crime  of  my  Camille  ? 

"  I  have  not  his  pen  to  defend  him.  But  the  voice  of  good  citizens,  and 
your  heart,  if  it  is  sensible,  will  plead  for  me.  Do  you  believe  that  people 
will  gain  confidence  in  you  by  seeing  you  immolate  your  best  friends  ?  Do 
you  think  that  they  will  bless  him  who  regards  neither  the  tears  of  the 
widow  nor  the  death  of  the  orphan  ?  Poor  Camille !  in  the  simplicity  of  his 
heart,  how  far  was  he  from  suspecting  the  fate  which  awaits  him  to-day ! 
He  thought  to  labor  for  your  glory  in  pointing  out  to  you  what  was  still 
wanting  to  our  republic.  He  has,  no  doubt,  been  calumniated  to  you,  Eobes- 
pierre,  for  you  can  not  believe  him  guilty.  Consider  that  he  has  never  re- 
quired the  death  of  any  one — that  he  has  never  desired  to  injure  by  your 
power,  and  that  you  were  his  oldest  and  his  best  friend.  And  you  are  about 
to  kill  us  both !     For  to  strike  him  is  to  kill  me — " 

The  unfinished  letter  she  intrusted  to  her  mother,  but  it  never  reached 
the  hands  of  Eobespierre.  The  prisoners  were  soon  taken  to  the  Concier- 
gerie  and  plunged  into  the  same  dungeon  into  which  thi  y  had  thrown  the 
Girondists.  The  day  of  trial  was  appointed  without  delay.  It  was  the  3d 
of  April.  As  the  prisoners,  fourteen  in  number,  were  arrayed  before  the 
Tribunal,  the  president,  Hermann,  inquired  of  Danton,  in  formal  phrase,  his 
name,  age,  and  residence. 

"My  name,"  was  the  proud  and  defiant  reply,  "is  Danton,  well  enough 
known  in  the  Revolution.  I  am  thirty-five  years  old.  My  residence  will 
soon  be  void,  and  my  name  will  exist  in  the  Pantheon  of  history." 

To  the  same  question  Camille  Desmoulins  replied,  "  I  am  thirtj^-three,  a 
fatal  age  to  revolutionists, — the  age  of  the  sans  culoite  Jesus  when  he  died." 

The  trial  lasted  three  days.  Danton,  in  his  defense,  struggled  like  a  lion 
in  the  toils.  An  immense  crowd  filled  the  court  and  crowded  the  surround- 
ing streets.  The  windows  were  open,  and  the  thunders  of  his  voice  were 
frequently  heard  even  to  the  other  side  of  the  Seine.  The  people  in  the 
streets,  whom  he  doubtless  meant  to  influence,  caught  up  his  words  and 
transmitted  them  from  one  to  another.  Some  indications  of  popular  sym- 
pathy alarmed  the  Tribunal,  and  it  was  voted  that  the  accused  were  wanting 
in  respect  to  the  court,  and  should  no  longer  be  heard  in  their  defense. 
They  were  immediately  condemned  to  die. 

They  were  reconducted  to  their  dungeon  to  prepare  for  the  guillotine. 
The  fortitude  of  Camille  Di^smoulins  was  weakened  by  the  strength  of  his 
domestic  attachments.     "Oh,  my  dear  Lucile!   Oh,  my  Horace  I   what  will 

Aa 


370 


THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION. 


[Chap.  XXXV 


danton'b  defenbe. 


become  of  them !"  lie  incessantly  cried,  while  tears  flooded  his  eyes.  Seiz- 
ing a  pen,  he  hastily  wrote  a  few  last  words  to  Lucile,  which  remain  one  of 
the  most  touching  memorials  of  grief 

"  I  have  dreamed,"  he  wrote,  "  of  a  republic  which  all  the  world  would 
have  adored.  I  could  not  have  believed  that  men  were  so  cruel  and  unjust, 
I  do  not  dissimulate  that  I  die  a  victim  to  my  friendship  for  Danton.     I 


1794.]        FALL  OF  THE  HEBERTISTS  AND  OF  THE  DANTONISTS.  371 

thank  my  assassins  for  allowing  me  to  die  with  Philippeaux.  Pardon,  my 
dear  friend,  my  true  life  which  I  lost  from  the  moment  they  separated  us. 
I  occupy  myself  with  my  memory.  I  ought  much  rather  to  cause  you  to 
forget  it,  my  Lucile.  I  conjure  you  do  not  call  to  me  by  your  cries.  They 
would  rend  my  heart  in  the  depths  of  the  tomb.  Live  for  our  child ;  talk 
to  him  of  me ;  you  may  tell  him  what  he  can  not  understand,  that  I  should 
have  loved  him  much.  Despite  my  execution,  I  believe  there  is  a  God. 
My  blood  will  wash  out  my  sins,  the  weakness  of  my  humanity ;  and  what- 
ever I  have  possessed  of  good,  my  virtues  and  my  love  of  liberty,  God  will 
recompense  it.     I  shall  see  you  again  one  day. 

"  O  my  Lucile,  sensitive  as  I  was,  the  death  which  delivers  me  from  the 
sight  of  so  much  crime,  is  it  so  great  a  misfortune  ?  Adieu,  my  life,  my 
soul,  my  divinity  upon  earth !  Adieu,  Lucile !  my  Lucile !  my  dear  Lucile ! 
Adieu,  Horace !  Annette !  Ad^le !  Adieu,  my  father !  I  feel  the  shore  of 
life, fly  before  me.  I  still  see  Lucile!  I  see  her,  my  best  beloved!  my 
Lucile!  My  bound  hands  embrace  you,  and  my  severed  head  rests  still 
upon  you  its  dying  eyes." 

As  Danton  re-entered  the  gloomy  corridor  of  the  prison  he  said,  "It  was 
just  a  year  ago  that  I  was  instrumental  in  instituting  the  Revolutionary 
Tribunal.  I  beg  pardon  of  God  and  men.  I  intended  it  as  a  measure  of 
humanity,  to  prevent  the  renewal  of  the  September  massacres,  and  that  no 
man  should  suffer  without  trial.  I  did  not  mean  that  it  should  prove  the 
scourge  of  humanity." 

Then,  pressing  his  capacious  brow  between  his  hands,  he, said,  "They 
think  that  they  can  do  without  me.  They  deceive  themselves.  I  was  the 
statesman  of  Europe.    They  do  not  suspect  the  void  which  this  head  leaves." 

"  As  to  me,"  he  continued,  in  cynical  terms,  "  I  have  enjoyed  my  mo- 
ments of  existence  well.  I  have  made  plenty  of  noise  upon  earth.  I  have 
tasted  well  of  life.  Let  us  go  to  sleep,"  and  he  made  a  gesture  with  head 
and  arms  as  if  about  to  repose  his  head  upon  a  pillow. 

After  a  short  pause  he  resumed,  "  We  are  sacrificed  to  the  ambition  of  a 
few  dastardly  brigands.  But  tlic}^  will  not  long  enjoy  the  fruit  of  their  vil- 
lainy.   I  drag  Robespierre  after  mc.    Robespierre  follows  me  to  the  grave." 

At  four  o'clock  the  executioners  entered  the  Conciergerie  to  bind  their 
hands  and  cut  off  their  hair. 

"It  will  be  very  amusing,"  said  Danton,  "to  the  fools  who  will  gape  at 
us  in  the  streets,  but  we  shall  appear  otherwise  in  the  eyes  of  posterity." 

When  the  executioners  laid  hold  of  Camille  Desmoulins,  he  struggled  in 
the  most  desperate  resistance.  But  he  was  speedily  thrown  upon  the  floor 
and  bound,  while  the  prison  resounded  with  his  shrieks  and  imprecations. 
The  whole  fourteen  Dantonists  were  placed  in  one  cart.  Desmoulins  seemed 
frantic  with  terror.  He  looked  imploringly  upon  the  crowd,  and  incessantly 
cried, 

"  Save  me,  generous  people !  I  am  Camille  Desmoulins.  It  was  I  who 
called  you  to  arms  on  the  14th  of  July.  It  was  I  who  gave  you  the  nation- 
al cockade." 

He  so  writhed  and  twisted  in  the  convulsions  of  his  agony  that  his  clothes 
were  nearly  torn  from  his  back.  Danton  stood  in  moody  silence,  occasion- 
ally endeavoring  to  appease  the  turbulence  of  Desmoulins. 


372  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChaP.  XXXV. 

Herault  de  Sdchelles  first  ascended  the  scaffold.  As  he  alighted  from 
the  cart  he  endeavored  to  embrace  Danton.  The  brutal  executioner  inter- 
posed. 

"Wretch,"  said  Danton,  "you  will  not,  at  least,  prevent  our  heads  from 
kissing  presently  in  the  basket." 

Desmoulins  followed  next.  In  his  hand  he  held  a  lock  of  his  wife's  hair. 
For  an  instant  he  gazed  upon  the  blade,  streaming  with  the  blood  of  his 
friend,  and  then  said,  turning  to  the  populace, 

"  Look  at  the  end  of  the  first  apostle  of  liberty.  The  monsters  who  mur- 
der me  will  not  survive  me  long." 

The  axe  fell,  and  his  head  dropped  into  the  basket.  Danton  looked 
proudly,  imperturbably  on  as,  one  after  another,  the  heads  of  his  thirteen 
companions  fell.  He  was  the  last  to  ascend  the  scaffold.  For  a  moment 
he  was  softened  as  he  thought  of  his  wife. 

"Oh  my  wife,  my  dear  wife,"  said  he,  "shall  I  never  see  you  again?" 
Then  checking  himself,  he  said,  "  But,  Danton,  no  weakness."  Turning  to 
the  executioner,  he  proudly  remarked,  "You  will  show  my  head  to  the 
people ;  it  will  be  well  worth  the  display." 

His  head  fell.  The  executioner,  seizing  it  by  the  hair,  walked  around 
the  platform,  holding  it  up  to  the  gaze  of  the  populace.  A  shout  of  ap- 
plause rose  from  the  infatuated  people.  "Thus,"  says  Mignet,  "perished 
the  last  defenders  of  humanity  and  moderation,  the  last  who  sought  to  pro- 
mote peace  among  the  conquerors  of  the  Ee volution  and  pity  for  the  con- 
quered. For  a  long  time  after  them  no  voice  was  raised  against  the  dicta- 
torship of  terror,  and  from  one  end  of  France  to  the  other  it  struck  silent 
and  redoubled  blows.  The  Girondists  had  sought  to  prevent  this  violent 
reign,  the  Dantonists  to  stop  it.  All  perished,  and  the  conquerors  had  the 
more  victims  to  strike,  the  more  the  foes  arose  around  them." 

The  Robespierrians,  having  thus  struck  down  the  leaders  of  the  moderate 
party,  pursued  their  victory,  by  crushing  all  of  the  advocates  of  moderation 
from  whom  they  apprehended  the  slightest  danger.  Day  after  day  the 
guillotine  ran  red  with  blood.  Even  the  devot(  d  wife  of  Camille  Desmou- 
lins, but  twenty-three  years  of  age,  was  not  spared.  It  was  her  crime  that 
she  loved  her  husband,  and  that  she  might  excite  sympathy  for  his  fate. 
Resplendent  with  grace  and  beauty,  she  was  dragged  before  the  Revolution- 
ary Tribunal.  Little  Horace  was  left  an  prphan,  to  cry  in  his  cradle.  Lu- 
cile  displayed  heroism  upon  the  scaffold  unsurpassed  by  that  of  Charlotte 
Corday  or  Madame  Roland.  When  condemned  to  death  she  said  calmly  to 
her  judges, 

"  I  shall,  then,  in  a  few  hours,  again  meet  my  husband.  In  departing 
from  this  world,  in  which  nothing  now  remains  to  engage  my  affections,  I 
am  far  less  the  object  of  pity  than  are  you." 

Robespierre  had  been  the  intimate  friend  of  Desmoulins  and  Lucile.  He 
had  often  eat  of  their  bread  and  drunk  of  their  cup  in  social  converse.  He 
was  a  guest  at  their  wedding.  Madame  Duplessis,  the  mother  of  Lucile, 
was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  accomplished  women  of  France.  In  vain 
she  addressed  herself  to  Rc^bcspicrre  and  all  his  friends,  in  almost  frantic 
endeavors  to  save  her  daughter. 


1794.J         FALL  OP  THE  HEBERTISTS  AND  OF  THE  DANTONISTS.  373 


INTKUIOK   OP   TIIK   UKVOLlTTIONAnT   TUIUCNAI. 


"  Robespierre,"  she  wrote  to  him,  "  is  it  not  enougli  to  have  assassinated 
your  best  friend ;  do  you  desire  also  the  blood  of  his  wife,  of  my  daughter? 
l^our  niaster,  Fouquier  Tinville,  has  just  ordered  her  to  be  led  to  the  scaf. 
lolcl.  I  wo  hours  more  and  she  will  not  be  in  existence.  Robespierre  if 
voii  are  not  a  tiger  in  human  shape,  if  the  blood  of  Camille  has  not  inebri- 
ated you  to  the  pomt  of  losmg  your  reason  entirely,  if  jou  recall  still  our 
evenmgs  of  mtimacy,  if  you  recall  to  yourself  the  caresses  you  lavished  upon 


374  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChaP.  XXXV. 

the  little  Horace,  and  how  you  delighted  to  hold  him  upon  your  knees,  and 
if  you  remember  that  you  were  to  have  been  my  son-in-law,  spare  an  inno- 
cent victim  !  But,  if  thy  fury  is  that  of  a  lion,  come  and  take  us  also,  my- 
self. Ad^le  [her  other  daughter],  and  Horace.  Come  and  tear  us  away  with 
thy  hands  still  reeking  in  the  blood  of  Camille.  Come,  come,  and  let  one 
single  tomb  reunite  us." 

To  this  appeal  Robespierre  returned  no  reply.  Lueile  was  left  to  her  fate. 
In  the  same  car  of  the  condemned  with  Madame  Hebert  she  was  conducted 
to  the  guillotine.  She  had  dressed  herself  for  the  occasion  with  remarkable 
grace.  A  white  gauze  veil,  partially  covering  her  luxuriant  hair,  embel- 
lished her  marvelous  beauty.  With  alacrity  and  apparent  cheerfulness  she 
ascended  the  steps,  placed  her  head  upon  tiie  fatal  plank,  and  a  smile  was 
upon  her  lips  as  the  keen-edged  knife,  with  the  rapidity  of  the  lightning's 
stroke,  severed  her  head  from  her  body. 

While  these  cruel  scenes  were  transpiring  in  Paris,  and  similar  scenes  in 
all  parts  of  France,  the  republican  armies  on  the  frontiers  were  struggling 
to  repel  the  invading  armies  of  allied  Europe.  It  was  the  fear  that  internal 
enemies  would  rise  and  combine  with  the  Ibreign  foe  which  goaded  the  Rev- 
okitionists  to  such  measures  of  despei'ation.  They  knew  that  the  triumph 
of  the  Bourbons  was  their  certain  death.  The  English  were  now  in  posses- 
sion of  Toulon,  the  arsenal  of  the  French  navy,  which  had  been  treasonably 
surrendered  to  an  English  fleet  by  the  friends  of  the  Bourbons.  A  republi- 
can army  had  for  some  months  been  besieging  the  city,  but  had  made  no 
progress  toward  the  expulsion  of  the  invaders. 

Napoleon  Bonaparte,  then  a  young  man  about  twenty-five  years  of  age 
and  a  lieutenant  in  the  army,  was  sent  to  aid  the  besiegers.  His  genius  soon 
placed  him  in  command  of  the  artillery.  With  almost  superhuman  energy, 
and  skill  never  before  surpassed,  he  pressed  the  siege,  and,  in  one  of  the 
most  terrific  midnight  attacks  which  ever  has  been  witnessed,  drove  the 
British  from  the  soil  of  France.  This  is  the  first  time  that  Napoleon  appears 
as  an  actor  in  the  drama  of  the  Revolution.  The  achievement  gave  him 
great  renown  in  the  army.  On  this  occasion  the  humanity  of  Napoleon  was 
as  conspicuous  as  his  energy.  He  abhorred  alike  the  tyrannic  sway  of  the 
Bourbons  and  the  sanguinary  rule  of  the  Jacobins.  One  of  the  deputies  of 
the  Convention  wrote  to  Carnot,  then  Minister  of  War,  "  I  send  you  a  young 
man  who  distinguished  himself  very  much  during  the  siege,  and  earnestly 
recommend  you  to  advance  him  speedily.  If  you  do  not,  he  will  most  as- 
suredly advance  himself." 

At  St.  Helena  Napoleon  said,  "  I  was  a  very  warm  and  sincere  Republi- 
can ar,  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution.  I  cooled  by  degrees,  in  pro- 
portion as  I  acquired  more  just  and  solid  ideas.  My  patriotism  sank  undei 
the  political  absurdities  and  monstrous  domestic  excesses  of  our  legisla- 
tures. ''' 

*  Napoleon  at  St.  Helena,  p.  126. 


1794.]  FALL  OF  ROBESFIERKE.  375 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

FALL    OF    ROBESPIERRE. 

Inexplicable  Character  of  Robespierre— Ce'cilc  Repnatilt.— Fete  in  honor  of  the  Supreme  Being. 
— Increase  of  Victims. — The  Triumvirate.  —  Suspicions  of  Robespierre. — StrupRle  between 
Robespierre  and  the  Committee  of  rublic  Safety. — Conspiracy  against  Robespierre. — Session 
of  the  27th  of  July. — Robespierre  and  his  Friends  arrested. — Ett'orts  to  save  Robespierre. — 
Peril  of  the  Convention. — Execution  of  Robespierre  and  his  Confederates. 

Robespierre,  who  was  now  apparently  at  tlie  height  of  his  power,  is  one 
of  the  most  inexphcable  of  men.  His  moral  character  was  irreproachable ; 
no  bribes  could  corrupt  him  ;  he  sincerely  endeavored  to  establish  a  repub- 
lic founded  upon  the  basis  of  popular  liberty  and  virtue ;  and  self-aggrand- 
izement seems  never  to  have  entered  into  his  aims.  He  was  not  a  blood- 
thirsty man ;  but  was  ready,  with  frigid  mercilessness,  to  crush  any  party 
which  stood  in  the  way  of  his  plans.  His  soul  appears  to  have  been  almost 
as  insensible  to  any  generous  emotion  as  was  the  blade  of  the  guillotine.* 
He  seems  to  have  mourned  the  apparent  necessity  of  beheading  Danton. 
Repeatedly  he  was  heard  to  say,  perhaps  hypocritically, 

"  Oh,  if  Danton  were  but  honest !  If  he  were  but  a  true  Republican  ! 
What  would  I  not  give  for  the  lantern  of  Diogenes  to  read  the  heart  of  Dan- 
ton, and  learn  if  he  be  the  friend  or  the  enemy  of  the  Republic?" 

Robespierre  would  gladly  have  received  the  aid  of  Dan  ton's  powerful  arm, 
but,  finding  his  old  friend  hostile  to  his  measures,  he  pitilessly  sent  him  to 
the  guillotine.  And  yet  there  is  evidence  that  he  at  times  was  very  weary 
of  that  work  of  death  which  he  deemed  it  necessary  to  prosecute.f 

*'  Death,"  said  he,  "  always  death ;  and  the  scoundrels  throw  all  the  respon- 
sibility upon  me.  What  a  memory  shall  I  leave  behind  me  if  this  lasts ! 
Life  is  a  burden  to  me." 

On  the  7th  of  May,  1794,  Robespierre  made  a  very  eloquent  speech  in  the 
Convention  advocating  the  doctrines  of  a  Supreme  Being  and  the  immortal- 
ity of  the  soul.  He  presented  the  following  decrees,  which  were  adopted  by 
acclamation : 

^^Art.  1.  The  French  people  recognize  the  existence  of  the  Supreme  Being 
and  the  immortality  of  the  soul. 

*  "Mr.  Alison  pives  currency  to  an  atrocious  slander  against  Robespierre,  for  which  he  has 
adduced  no  authority,  and  which  is  contradicted  by  the  whole  evidence  of  Robespierre's  life. 
'He  (Phili])pe  Epalite')  was  detained,'  says  Alison,  '.above  a  quarter  of  an  hour  in  front  of  the 
Palais  Royal,  by  order  of  Robespierre,  who  had  asked  in  vain  for  the  hand  of  his  daughter  in  mar- 
riage, and  had  promised,  if  he  would  relent  in  that  extremity,  to  excite  a  tumult  which  would 
save  his  life.'  " — Life  of  Rohesjde.rre,  bij  G.  II.  Lcwea,  p.  2C5. 

t  "Danton  regarded  the  austere  principles  of  Robespierre  as  folly.  He  thought  that  the  Re- 
publicans could  not  maintain  their  power  but  by  surrounding  themselves  with  the  consideration 
which  wealth  confers,  and  he  consequently  thought  it  necessary  to  close  their  eyes  against  the 
sudden  acquisition  of  wealth  of  certain  Revolutionists.  Robespierre,  on  the  contraiy,  flattered  him- 
self that  he  could  establish  a  republic  in  France  based  on  virtue,  and  when  he  was  thoroughly  per- 
suaded that  Danton  was  an  obstacle  to  that  system  he  abandoned  him." — Bioyraphie  Universelle, 


376  "THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChaP.  XXXYI. 

'^Art  2.  They  acknowledge  that  the  worship  worthy  of  the  Supreme  Be- 
ing is  one  of  the  duties  of  man." 

There  were  some  unavailing  attempts  now  made  to  assassinate  Eobespierre ; 
one,  very  singular  in  its  character,  by  a  beautiful  girl,  Cecile  Eegnault,  but 
seventeen  years  of  age.  She  called  at  Robespierre's  house  and  asked  to  see 
him.     Her  appearance  attracted  suspicion,  and  she  was  arrested.     In  her 


OECILE  REGNAULT   AUBE8TE1). 


basket  a  change  of  clothes  was  found  and  two  knives.  She  was  led  before 
the  Tribunal. 

"What  was  the  object  of  your  visit  to  Robespierre?"  the  president  in- 
quired. 

"I  wished,"  she  replied,  "to  see  what  a  tyrant  was  like." 

"Why  did  you  provide  yourself  with  the  change  of  clothes?" 

"  Because,"  she  calmly  replied,  "  I  expected  to  be  sent  to  prison  and  then 
to  the  guillotine." 

"Did  you  intend  to  stab  Robespierre?" 

"  No,"  she  answered,  "  I  never  wished  to  hurt  any  one  in  my  life." 

"Why  are  you  a  Royalist?"  the  president  continued. 

"Because,"  she  replied,  "I  prefer  one  king  to  sixty  tyrants." 

She  was  sent  to  the  guillotine  with  all  her  family  relations.  The  conduct 
of  this  girl  is  quite  inexplicable,  and  it  is  doubted  whether  she  seriously  con- 
templated any  crime.  When  she  called  to  see  Robespierre  she  left  her  knife 
in  her  room  in  a  hasht!  Eight  carts  were  filled  with  victims  to  avenge  this 
crime.* 

Robespierre  was  now  so  popular  with  the  multitude  that  all  Paris  rallied 
around  him  with  congratulations. 

The  8th  of  May  was  a])pointed  as  a  festival  in  honor  of  the  Supreme  Be- 
ing. Robespierre,  the  originator  of  the  movement,  was  chosen  President  of 
the  Convention,  that  he  might  take  the  most  conspicuous  part  on  the  occa- 
sion.    The  morning  dawned  with  unusual  splendor.     For  that  one  day  the 

*  Du  Broca. 


1794.]  FALL  OF  ROBESPIERRE.  877 

guillotine  was  ordered  to  rest.  An  amphitheatre  was  erected  in  the  centre 
of  the  garden  of  the  Tuileries,  and  the  spacious  grounds  were  crowded  with 
a  rejoicing  concourse.  The  celebrated  painter  David  had  arranged  the  fete 
with  the  highest  embellishments  of  art.  At  twelve  o'clock  Eobespierre  as- 
cended a  pavilion  and  delivered  a  discourse. 

"  Kepublican  Frenchmen,"  said  he,  "  the  ever  fortunate  day  which  the 
French  people  dedicated  to  the  Supreme  Being  has  at  length  arrived.  Nev- 
er did  the  world  which  he  created  exhibit  a  spectacle  so  worthy  of  his  atten- 
tion. He  has  beheld  tyranny,  crime,  and  imposture  reigning  on  earth.  He 
beholds  at  this  moment  a  whole  nation,  assailed  by  all  the  oppressors  of 
mankind,  suspending  the  course  of  its  heroic  labors  to  lift  its  thoughts  and 
its  prayers  toward  the  Supreme  Being  who  gave  it  the  mission  to  undertake 
and  the  courage  to  execute  them." 

Having  finished  his  brief  address,  he  descended  and  set  fire  to  a  colossal 
group  of  figures  representing  Atheism,  Discord,  and  Selfishness,  which  the 
idea  of  a  God  was  to  reduce  to  ashes.  As  they  were  consumed,  there  ap- 
peared in  their  place,  emerging  from  the  flames,  the  statue  of  Wisdom.  After 
music,  songs,  and  sundry  symbolic  ceremonies,  an  immense  procession  was 
formed,  headed  by  Eobespierre,  which  proceeded  from  the  Tuileries  to  the 
Champ  de  Mars.  Here,  after  the  performance  of  pageants  as  imposing  as 
Parisian  genius  could  invent  and  Parisian  opulence  execute,  the  procession 
returned  to  the  Tuileries,  where  the  festival  was  concluded  with  public  di- 
versions.* 

The  pre-eminence  which  Eobespierre  assumed  on  this  occasion  excited 
great  displeasure,  and  many  murmurs  reached  his  ears.  Eobespierre,  the 
next  day,  entered  complaints  against  those  who  had  murmured,  accused 
them  of  being  Dantonists  and  enemies  of  the  Eevolution,  and  wished  to  send 
them  to  the  guillotine.  Each  member  of  the  Convention  began  to  feel  that 
his  head  was  entirely  at  the  disposal  of  Eobespierre,  and  gradually  became 
emboldened  to  opposition. 

The  legal  process  by  which  victims  were  arrested  and  sent  to  the  guillo- 
tine had  now  become  simple  and  energetic  in  the  extreme.  Any  man  com- 
plained to  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety  of  whom  he  would,  as  suspected 
of  being  unfriendly  to  the  Eevolution,  The  committee  immediately  ordered 
the  arrest  of  the  accused.  The  eighteen  prisons  of  Paris  were  thus  choked 
with  victims.  Each  evening  Fouquier  Tinville,  the  public  accuser,  received 
from  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety  a  list  of  those  whom  he  was  to  take 
the  next  day  to  the  Eevolutionary  Tribunal.  If  the  committee,  for  any  rea- 
son, had  not  prepared  a  list,  Fouquier  Tinville  was  allowed  to  select  whom 
he  pleased.  To  be  suspected  was  almost  certain  death.  From  the  commence- 
ment of  this  year  (1794)  the  executions  had  increased  with  frightful  rapid- 
ity. In  January  eighty-three  were  executed ;  in  February,  seventy -five ;  in 
March,  one  hundred  and  twenty-three ;  in  April,  two  hundred  and  sixty- 

*  "Robespierre  had  a  prodigious  force  at  his  disposal.  The  lowest  orders,  who  saw  the  Rev- 
olution in  his  person,  supported  him  as  the  best  representative  of  its  doctrines  and  interests;  the 
armed  force  of  Paris,  commanded  by  Henriot,  was  at  his  command.  He  had  entire  sway  over 
the  Jacobins,  whom  he  admitted  and  ejected  at  pleasure ;  all  important  posts  were  occupied  by 
his  creatures;  he  had  formed  the  Revolutionary  Tribunal  and  the  new  committee  himself."— 
Mignet,  p.  256. 
Vol.  II.— G 


378  THE  FRENCH  EEVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXVT. 

three ;  in  May,  three  hundred  and  twenty -four ;  in  June,  six  hundred  and 
seventy-two ;  in  July,  eight  hundred  and  thirty-five."^ 

Carts  were  continually  passing  from  the  gates  of  the  Conciergerie  loaded 
with  prisoners,  who  were  promptly  condemned  and  sent  immediately  to  the 
scaffold.  Malesherbes,  the  intrepid  and  venerable  defender  of  Louis  XVI., 
living  in  retirement  in  the  country,  was  dragged,  with  all  his  family,  to  the 
scaffold.  If  a  man  were  rich,  he  was  suspected  of  aristocracy  and  was  sent 
to  the  guillotine.  If  he  were  learned,  his  celebrity  exposed  him  to  suspicion, 
and  his  doom  was  death.  If  he  were  virtuous,  he  was  accused  of  sympathy 
for  the  victims  of  the  guillotine,  and  was  condemned  to  the  scaffold.  There 
was  no  longer  safety  but  in  vice  and  degradation.  The  little  girls  who  had 
been  led  by  their  fathers  to  attend  a  ball  given  by  the  King  of  Prussia  at 
Verdun  were  all  arrested,  brought  to  Paris,  and  condemned  and  executed. 
"  The  eldest,"  says  Lamartine,  "  was  eighteen.  They  were  all  clothed  in 
white  robes.  The  cart  which  carried  them  resembled  a  basket  of  lilies 
whose  heads  waved  to  the  motion  of  the  arm.  The  affected  executioners 
wept  with  them."  Josephine  Beauharnais,  afterward  the  bride  of  Napoleon, 
was  at  this  time  in  one  of  the  dungeons  of  Paris,  sleeping  upon  a  wretched 
pallet  of  straw,  and  expecting  daily  to  be  led  to  execution. 

Robespierre,  St.  Just,  and  Couthon  were  the  three  leading  men  in  the 
Committee  of  Public  Safety,  and  were  hence  called  the  Triumvirate.  All 
began  now  to  be  weary  of  blood,  and  yet  no  one  knew  how  to  stem  the  tor- 
rent or  when  the  carnage  would  cease.  The  Reign  of  Terror  had  become 
almost  as  intolerable  as  the  tyranny  of  the  old  kings,  but  not  fully  so ;  the 
Reign  of  Terror  crushed  thousands  who  could  make  their  woes  heard ;  des- 
potism crushed  millions  who  were  dumb.  There  was  no  hope  for  France 
but  in  some  energetic  arm  which,  assuming  the  dictatorship,  should  rescue 
liberty  from  the  encroachments  of  kings  and  from  being  degraded  by  the 
mob.  Robespierre  was  now  the  most  prominent  man  in  France  and  the 
most  popular  with  the  multitude.  His  friends  urged  him  to  assume  the 
dictatorship. 

Jealousy  of  Robespierre's  ambition  now  began  to  arise,  and  his  enemies 
rapidly  increased.  Whispers  that  he  had  become  a  traitor  to  the  Republic 
and  was  seeking  kingly  power  began  to  circulate.  Popular  applause  is  pro- 
verbially fickle.  Robespierre  soon  found  that  he  could  not  carry  his  meas- 
ures in  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety,  and,  disgusted  and  humiliated,  he 
absented  himself  from  the  sittings.  He  attempted  to  check  the  effusion  of 
blood,  but  was  overruled  by  those  even  more  pitiless  than  himself  He  now 
determined  to  crush  the  committee.  Political  defeat  was  death.  He  must 
either  send  the  committee  to  the  scaffold  or  bow  his  own  head  beneatk  the 
knife.  It  was  a  death-struggle  short  and  decisive.  Pretended  lists  were 
circulated  of  the  heads  Robespierre  demanded.  Many  in  the  Convention 
were  appalled.  Secret  nightly  councils  were  held  to  array  a  force  against 
him.  The  mob  of  Paris  he  could  command.  Ilenriot,  the  chief  of  the  mil- 
itary force,  was  entirely  subservient  to  his  will.  He  reigned  supreme  and 
without  a  rival  in  the  Jacobin  Club.  His  power  was  apparently  resistlesa 
Bat  despair  nerved  his  foes. 

*  Thiers,  vol.  iii.,  p.  68,  note  from  Quarterly  Review. 


1794.]  FALL  OF  ROBESPIERRE.  3^9 

Three  very  able  men,  accustomed  to  command — Tallien,  Barras,  and  Fr^- 
ron — headed  the  conspiracy  against  Robespierre.  The  party  thus  organized 
was  called  the  Thennidorien,  because  it  was  in  the  month  of  Thermidor 
(July)  that  they  achieved  their  signal  victory,  and,  trampling  upon  the 
corpse  of  Robespierre  and  of  his  adherents,  ascended  to  power.  But  nearly 
all  these  men,  of  all  these  parties,  seem  to  have  had  no  sense  whatever  of 
responsibility  to  God,  or  of  Christianity  as  the  rule  of  life.  They  had  one 
and  all  rejected  the  Gospel  of  our  Savior,  and  had  accepted  human  phi- 
losophy alone  as  their  guide.  They  were  men,  many  of  them,  great  in 
ability,  illustrious  in  many  virtues,  sincerely  loving  their  country,  and  too 
proud  to  allow  themselves  to  be  degraded  by  bribes  or  plunder.  As  the 
general  on  the  battle-field  will  order  movements  which  will  cut  down  thou- 
sands of  men,  thus  did  these  Revolutionists,  without  any  scruples  of  con- 
science, send  hundreds  daily  to  the  guillotine,  not  from  love  of  blood,  but 
because  they  believed  that  the  public  welfare  demanded  the  sacrifice.  And 
yet  there  was  a  cowardly  spirit  impelling  these  massacres.  No  one  dared 
speak  a  word  in  behalf  of  mercy,  lest  he  should  be  deemed  in  sympathy 
with  aristocrats.  He  alone  was  safe  from  suspicion  who  was  merciless  in 
denunciation  of  the  suspected.  It  is,  however,  remarkable  that  nearly  all 
the  actors  in  these  scenes  of  blood,  even  in  the  hour  of  death,  protested  their 
conscientiousness  and  their  integrity. 

Robespierre  was  now  involved  in  inextricable  toils.  He  was  weary  of 
blood.  The  nation  was  becoming  disgusted  with  such  carnage.*  He  was 
universally  recognized  as  the  leading  mind  in  the  government,  and  every 
act  was  deemed  his  act.  His  enemies  in  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety 
plied  the  guillotine  with  new  vigor,  knowing  that  the  public  responsibility 
would  rest  on  Robespierre,  Robespierre  was  strongly  opposed  to  that  reck- 
less massacre,  and  yet  dared  not  interfere  to  save  the  condemned.  His  own 
dearest  friends  were  arrested  and  dragged  to  the  guillotine,  and  yet  Robes- 
pierre was  compelled  to  be  silent.     Earnestly  he  was  entreated  to  assume 

*  Prudhommc,  a  llepiihlican,  who  wrote  durinf;  this  period  of  excitement,  has  left  six  vol- 
umes of  tlie  details  of  the  Rei;:n  of  Terror.  Two  of  these  contain  an  alphabetical  list  of  all  the 
I)ersons  put  to  death  by  the  Revolutionary  Tribunals.  He  gives  the  following  appalling  state- 
ment of  the  victims : 

Nobles 1,278 

Noble  women 750 

Wives  of  laborers  and  artisans 1,4G7 

Nuns 350 

Priests 1,135 

Men  not  noble 13,623 

Total  sent  to  the  guillotine 18,003  18,603 

Women  who  died  of  j)remature  delivery   3  400 

Women  who  died  in  childbirth  from  grief 343 

Women  killed  in  La  Vende'^ 15,000 

Children  killed  in  La  Vendc'e 22,000 

Men  slain  in  La  Vendee 900,000 

Victims  under  Carrier  at  Nantes 32,000 

Victims  at  Lyons 31,000 

Total 1,022,351 

This  list,  appalling  as  it  is,  does  not  include  those  massacred  in  the  prisons,  or  those  shot  at 
Toulon  or  Marseilles. 


380  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXVI. 

the  dictatorship,  and  rescue  France  from  its  measureless  woe.  Apparently 
he  could  have  done  it  with  ease.  He  refused ;  persistently  and  reiteratedly 
refused.  What  were  his  motives  none  now  can  tell.  Some  say  cowardice 
prevented  him ;  others  affirm  that  true  devotion  to  the  Republic  forbade 
him.  The  fact  alone  remains ;  he  refused  the  dictatorship,  saying  again 
and  again,  "  No !  no  Cromwell ;  not  even  I  mj^self " 

Robespierre  retired  for  some  weeks  from  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety, 
while  blood  was  flowing  in  torrents,  and  prepared  a  very  elaborate  dis- 
course, to  be  delivered  in  the  Convention,  defending  himself  and  assailing 
his  foes. 

On  the  morning  of  the  26th  of  July  Robespierre  appeared  in  the  Con- 
vention, prepared  to  speak.  His  Jacobin  friends,  forewarned,  crowded 
around  him,  and  his  partisans  thronged  the  galleries.  His  foes  were  ap- 
palled, and  trembled ;  but  they  rallied  all  their  friends.  It  was  a  decisive 
hour,  and  life  or  death  was  suspended  on  its  issues.  The  speech,  which  he 
read  from  a  carefully-prepared  manuscript,  was  long  and  exceedingly  elo- 
quent. His  foes  felt  that  they  were  crushed,  and  a  silence  as  of  death  for 
a  moment  followed  its  delivery.  The  printing  of  the  speech  was  then  voted, 
apparently  by  acclamation,  and  the  order  for  its  transmission  to  all  the 
Communes  of  the  Republic. 

The  foes  of  Robespierre  were  now  emboldened  by  despair.  Their  fate 
seemed  sealed,  and  consequently  there  was  nothing  to  be  lost  by  any  vio- 
lent struggle  in  self-defense.  Cambon  ventured  an  attack,  boldly  declaring, 
"One  single  man  paralyzes  the  National  Convention,  and  that  man  is  Rob- 
espierre." Others  followed  with  more  and  more  vigorous  blows.  Robes- 
pierre was  amazed  at  the  audacity.  The  charm  of  his  invincibility  was 
gone.  It  soon  appeared  that  there  was  a  strong  party  opposed  to  Robes- 
pierre, and  by  a  large  majority  it  was  voted  to  revoke  the  resolution  to 
print  the  speech. 

Robespierre,  mute  with  alarm,  left  the  Convention,  and  hastened  to  his 
friends  in  the  Club  of  Jacobins.  He  read  to  them  the  speech  which  the 
Convention  had  repudiated.  They  received  it  with  thunders  of  applause 
and  with  vows  of  vengeance.  Robespierre,  fainting  with  exhaustion,  said, 
in  conclusion, 

"  Brothers,  you  have  heard  my  last  will  and  testament.  I  have  seen  to- 
day that  the  league  of  villains  is  so  strong  that  I  can  not  hope  to  escape 
them.  I  yield  without  a  murmur !  I  leave  to  you  my  memory ;  it  will  be 
dear  to  you,  and  you  will  defend  it." 

Many  were  affected  even  to  tears,  and,  crowding  around  him,  conjured 
him  to  rally  his  friends  in  an  insurrection.  Henriot  declared  his  readiness 
to  march  his  troops  against  the  Convention.  Robespierre,  knowing  that 
death  was  the  inevitable  doom  of  the  defeated  party,  consented,  saying, 

"Well,  then,  let  us  separate  the  wicked  from  the  weak.  Free  the  Con- 
vention from  those  who  oppress  it.  Advance,  and  save  the  country.  If  in 
these  generous  efforts  we  fail,  then,  my  friends,  you  shall  see  me  drink  hem- 
lock calmly." 

David,  grasping  his  hand,  enthusiastically  exclaimed,  "Robespierre,  if 
you  drink  hemlock,  I  will  drink  it  with  you."     "  Yes,"  interrupted  a  mul- 


1794.]  FALL  OF  ROBESPIERRE.  381 

titude  of  voices,  "  all !  we  all  will  perish  with  you.  To  die  with  you  is 
to  die  with  the  people." 

One  or  two  of  Kobespierre's  opponents  had  followed  him  from  the  Con- 
vention to  the  Hall  of  the  Jacobins.  Couthon  pointed  them  out  and  de- 
nounced them.  The  Jacobins  fell  upon  them  and  drove  them  out  of  the 
house  wounded  and  with  rent  garments.  With  difl&culty  they  escaped  with 
their  lives.  Robespierre  witnessed  this  violence,  and  dreading  the  effects 
of  a  general  insurrection,  withdrew  his  consent  to  adopt  means  so  lawless 
and  desperate.  He  probably  felt  that,  strongly  supported  as  he  was,  he 
would  be  able  the  next  day  to  triumph  in  the  Convention. 

"At  this  refusal,"  says  Lamartine,  "honest,  perhaps,  but  impolitic,  Cof- 
finghal,  taking  Payan  by  the  arm  and  leading  him  out  of  the  room,  said, 

"  '  You  see  plainly  that  his  virtue  could  not  consent  to  insurrection.  Well ! 
since  he  will  not  be  saved,  let  us  prepare  to  defend  ourselves  and  to  avenge 
him.'  " 

The  night  was  passed  by  both  parties  in  preparing  for  the  decisive  strife 
of  the  next  day.  The  friends  of  Eobespierre  were  active  in  concerting,  in, 
all  the  quarters  of  Paris,  a  rising  of  the  people  to  storm  the  Convention. 
Tallien,  Barras,  Frerou,  Fouche,  slept  not.  They  were  informed  of  all  that 
had  passed  at  the  Jacobins,  and  their  emissaries  brought  them  hourly  intel- 
ligence through  the  night  of  the  increasing  tumult  of  the  people.  They 
made  vigorous  preparations  for  the  debate  within  the  walls  and  for  the  de- 
fense of  the  doors  against  the  forest  of  pikes  with  which  it  was  about  to  be 
assailed.  Barras  was  intrusted  with  the  military  defense.  It  was  resolved 
that  Robespierre  should  be  cried  down  and  denounced  by  internal  tumult 
and  not  permitted  to  spea]>:.  Each  party,  not  knowing  the  strength  of  its 
opponents,  was  sanguine  of  success. 

The  morning  of  the  27th  of  July  dawned,  and  as  Robespierre  entered  the 
Convention,  attired  with  unusual  care,  and  with  a  smile  of  triumph  upon  his 
lips,  silence  and  stillness  reigned  through  the  house.  St.  Just,  in  behalf  of 
Eobespierre,  commenced  the  onset.  A  scene  of  tumult  immediately  ensued 
of  which  no  adequate  description  can  be  given.  Robespierre  immediately 
saw  that  his  friends  were  far  outnumbered  by  his  foes,  and  was  in  despair. 
Pale  and  excited,  he  attempted  to  ascend  the  tribune.  Tallien  seized  by  the 
coat  and  dragged  him  away,  while  cries  of  Doiun  with  the  tyrant  filled  the 
house.* 

"Just  now,"  shouted  Tallien,  taking  the  tribune  from  which  he  had 
ejected  Robespierre,  "  I  demanded  that  the  curtain  should  be  withdrawn  ;  it 
is  so  ;  the  conspirators  are  unmasked  and  liberty  will  triumph.  Up  to  this 
moment  I  had  preserved  utter  silence  because  I  was  aware  that  the  tyrant 
had  made  a  list  of  proscriptions.  But  I  was  present  at  the  sitting  of  the 
Jacobins.  I  beheld  the  formation  of  the  army  of  this  second  Cromwell,  and 
I  armed  myself  with  this  poniard,  with  which  to  pierce  his  heart  if  the  Na- 
tional Convention  had  not  the  courage  to  order  his  arrest." 

*  The  full  report  of  this  terrible  scene,  as  contained  in  the  Moniteur  of  the  11th  Thermidor,  is 
one  of  the  most  exciting  narratives  in  history.  In  the  conflict  Robespierre  appears  immeasurably 
superior  to  his  opponents  in  dignity  and  argument.  But  he  is  overwhelmed  and  crushed  by  the 
general  clamor.     He  struggles  valiantly,  and  falls  like  a  strong  man  armed. 


382 


THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXVI 


E0BE8PIERRE  ATTEMPTTNO  ms  DUTENSE. 

With  these  words  he  drew  a  da.crger  and  pointed  it  menacingly  at  the  breast 
oi  Kobespierre.  At  the  same  time  he  moved  the  arrest  of  Henriot  and 
otners  ol  the  leadmg  men  of  that  party.  The  motion  was  tumultuoiisly  car- 
">>;  fV,  ^''^'"  Robespierre  attempted  to  gain  a  hearing.  Cries  of  "Down 
with  tlie  tyrant"  filled  the  house,  and  menaces,  reproaches,  and  insults  were 


1794.]  FALL  OF  ROBESPIERRE.  333 

heaped  upon  him  without  measure.  The  wretched  man,  overwhelmed  by 
the  clamor,  turned  pale  with  indignation,  and  shouted  "  President  of  assas- 
sins, will  you  hear  me?"  "  No!  no!  no!"  seemed  to  be  the  unanimous  re- 
sponse. In  the  midst  of  the  uproar  Louchet  moved  the  arrest  of  Kobespierre. 
The  proposition  was  received  with  thunders  of  applause.*  The  brother  of 
Kobespierre,  a  young  man  of  gentle,  affectionate  nature  and  many  virtues, 
who  was  universally  esteemed,  now  rose,  and  said, 

"  I  am  as  guilty  as  my  brother.  I  have  shared  his  virtues,  I  wish  to 
share  his  fate." 

Robespierre  instantly  interposed,  saying,  "  I  accept  my  condemnation. 
I  have  deserved  your  hatred.  But,  crime  or  virtue,  my  brother  is  not  guilty 
of  that  which  you  strike  in  me." 

Shouts  and  stamping  drowned  his  voice.  As  cries  of  Vive  la  Repuhlique 
rose  on  all  sides,  Robespierre  quietl}^  folded  his  arms,  and,  with  a  contempt- 
uous smile,  exclaimed,  "  The  Republic !  it  is  destroyed ;  for  scoundrels  tri- 
umph." It  was  now  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  two  Robespierres, 
Couthon,  St.  Just,  and  Lebus  were  led  by  geiis  crarmes  from  the  Convention 
across  the  Place  du  Carrousel  to  the  Hotel  de  Brionne,  where  the  Commit- 
tee of  General  Stifet}^  were  in  session.  A  crowd  followed  the  prisoners  with 
derision  and  maledictions.  As  Xh.Qj  entered  the  Carrousel  a  procession  of 
carts,  containing  forty-five  victims  on  their  way  to  the  guillotine,  met  them. 

After  a  very  brief  examination  Robespierre  was  sent  to  the  Luxembourg. 
His  confederates  w^cre  distributed  among  the  other  prisons  of  Paris.  The 
Mayor  of  Paris  and  Hen  riot  were  in  the  mean  time  active  in  endeavors  to 
excite  an  insurrection  to  rescue  the  prisoners.  The  following  proclamation 
was  issued  from  the  Hotel  de  Ville  : 

"  Brothers  and  friends !  the  country  is  in  imminent  danger  I  The  wicked 
have  mastered  the  Convention,  where  they  hold  in  chains  the  virtuous  Rob- 
espierre. To  arms  !  to  arms !  Let  us  not  lose  the  fruits  of  the  18th  of  Au- 
gust and  the  2d  of  June." 

Henriot,  waving  his  sword,  swore  that  he  would  drag  the  scoundrels  who 
voted  the  arrest  of  Robespierre  through  the  streets  tied  to  the  tail  of  his 
horse.  This  brutal  man  was  now  in  such  a  state  of  intoxication  as  to  be  in- 
capable of  decisive  action.  Flourishing  a  pistol,  he  mounted  his  horse,  and, 
with  a  small  detachment  of  troops,  galloped  to  the  Luxembourg  to  rescue 
his  friend.  He  was  met  on  the  way  by  the  troops  of  the  Convention,  who 
had  been  ordered  to  arrest  him.  They  seized  him,  dragged  him  from  his 
horse,  bound  him  with  their  belts,  and  threw  him  into  a  guard-house,  almost 
dead-drunk.  In  tlie  mean  time  the  populace  rescued  all  the  prisoners,  and 
carried  them  in  triumph  to  the  mayor's  room  at  the  Hotel  de  Ville.  Robes- 
pierre, however,  notwithstanding  the  most  earnest  entreaties  of  the  Jacobins 
and  the  municipal  government,  refused  to  encourage  or  to  accept  the  insur- 
rection, or  to  make  escape  from  arrest.     "Made  prisoner,"  writes  Lamar- 

*  "In  tho  heipht  of  the  terrible  conflict,  when  Robespierre  seemed  deprived  by  rage  of  the 
power  of  articulation,  a  voice  cried  out,  '  It  is  Danton's  blood  that  ?'.•?  choking  you.''  Robespierre, 
indignant,  recovered  his  voice  and  courage  to  exclaim,  '  Danton  !  Is  it,  then,  Danton  you  regret? 
Cowards  !  why  did  you  not  defend  him  ?'  There  was  spirit,  truth,  and  even  dignity  in  this  bitter 
j^etort — the  last  words  that  Robespierre  ever  spoke  in  public." — Quarterly  Review^ 


384  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXVI. 

tine,  "  by  command  of  his  enemies,  lie  resolved  either  to  triumph  or  fall 
submissive  to  the  law  only ;  added  to  which,  he  firmly  believed  the  Kevolu- 
tionary  Tribunal  would  acquit  him  of  all  laid  to  his  charge ;  or,  if  not,  and 
if  even  condemned  to  death,  '  the  death  of  one  just  man,'  said  he,  '  is  less 
hurtful  to  the  Eepublic  than  the  example  of  a  revolt  against  the  national 
representation.'  " 

News  was  brought  to  the  Hotel  de  Ville  of  the  arrest  of  Henriot.  CoflQ.n- 
hal.  Vice-president  of  the  Eevolutionary  Tribunal,  immediately  rallied  the 
mob,  rushed  to  the  Tuileries,  released  Henriot,  who  was  by  this  time  some- 
what sobered,  and  brought  him  back  to  the  Hotel  de  Ville.  Henriot,  exas- 
perated by  his  arrest,  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  his  troops  and  marched 
with  a  battery  against  the  Convention.  At  this  stage  of  the  affair  no  one 
could  judge  which  party  would  be  victorious.  The  city  government,  with 
the  populace  at  its  disposal,  was  on  one  side ;  the  Convention,  with  its  friends, 
on  the  other.* 

It  was  now  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  the  deputies  of  the  Conven- 
tion, fully  conscious  of  their  peril,  seemed  almost  speechless  with  terror. 
Eobespierre  and  his  confederates  were  rescued  and  protected  by  the  city 
government;  the  mob  was  aroused,  and  the  National  Guard,  under  their 
leader,  Henriot,  were  marching  against  the  Convention.  The  Revolutionary 
Tribunal,  which  alone  could  condemn  Robespierre,  it  was  feared  would  ac- 
quit him  by  acclamation.  He  would  then  be  led  back  in  triumph  to  the 
Convention,  and  his  foes  would  be  speedily  dragged  to  the  guillotine.  The 
dismal  tolling  of  the  tocsin  now  was  heard ;  in  the  Jacobin  Club  the  oath 
was  taken  to  live  or  die  with  Robespierre ;  the  rallying  masses  were  crowd- 
ing in  from  the  faubourgs ;  cannon  were  pointed  against  the  Convention ; 
and  three  thousand  young  students  seized  their  arms  and  rendezvoused  as  a 
body-guard  for  Robespierre. 

In  this  critical  hour  the  Convention,  nerved  by  despair,  adopted  those 
measures  of  boldness  and  energy  which  could  alone  save  them  from  destruc- 
tion. As  they  were  deliberating,  Henriot  placed  his  artillery  before  their 
doors  and  ordered  them  to  be  blown  open.  The  deputies  remained  firmly 
in  their  seats,  saying,  "  Here  is  our  post,  and  here  we  will  die."  The  friends 
of  the  Convention,  who  crowded  the  galleries,  rushed  out  and  spread  them- 
selves through  the  streets  to  rally  defenders  for  the  laws.  Several  of  the 
deputies  also  left  the  hall,  threw  themselves  among  the  soldiers,  and,  remon- 
strating with  them,  pointed  to  Henriot,  and  said, 

"  Soldiers  !  look  at  that  drunken  man !  who  but  a  drunkard  would  ever 
point  his  arms  against  his  country  or  its  representatives?  Will  you,  who 
have  ever  deserved  so  much  from  your  country,  cast  shame  and  dishonor 
on  her  now  ?" 

The  Convention  had  outlawed  Henriot  and  appointed  Barras  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  National  Guard  in  his  place.  The  soldiers  began  to  waver. 
Henriot,  affrighted,  put  spurs  to  his  horse  and  fled.  Barras,  an  energetic 
man,  was  now  in  command,  and  the  tide  had  thus  suddenly  and  strongly 

*  The  state  of  the  times  is  ilhistratcd  by  the  fact  that  Barrere  is  reported  to  have  gone  to  the 
Convention  with  two  speeches  in  his  pocket,  one  assailing  Robespierre  and  the  other  defending 
him.     He  knew  not  which  party  would  triumph,  and  he  was  prepared  to  join  the  strongest. 


1794.] 


FALL  OF  ROBESPIERRE. 


385 


DEMONSTRATION   AGAIN6T  THE  CONVENTION,    HEADED   BY   HENEIOT, 

turned  in  favor  of  the  Convention.  It  was  now  night,  and  the  gleam  of  ten 
thousand  torches  was  reflected  from  the  multitudes  surging  through  the 
streets,  Barras,  on  horseback,  with  a  strong  retinue,  traversed  the  central 
quarters  of  Paris,  rallying  the  citizens  to  the  defense  of  the  Convention. 
Eighteen  hundred  bold,  well-armed  men  w^ere  soon  marshaled  before  the 
doors.  With  two  other  bands  he  marched  along  parallel  streets  to  the  Place 
de  Gr^ve,  where  he  drove  off  the  disorderly  crowd  and  secured  all  the  ap- 

Bb 


386  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXVI. 

proaches  to  the  Hotel  de  Ville.  Kobespierre  was  still  in  one  of  the  rooms 
of  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  surrounded  bj  his  confederates  and  by  the  members 
of  the  city  government.  They  implored  him  to  authorize  an  insurrection, 
assuring  him  that  his  name  would  rally  the  populace  and  rescue  them  all 
from  inevitable  death.  But  Kobespierre  persistently  refused,  declaring  that 
he  would  rather  die  than  violate  the  laws  established  by  the  people. 

A  detachment  of  soldiers,  sent  by  Barras,  cautiously  ascended  the  steps, 
and  entered  the  Salle  de  VEgalite  to  rearrest  the  rescued  prisoners.  As  they 
were  ascending  the  stairs  Lebas  discharged  a  pistol  into  his  heart  and  fell 
dead.  The  younger  Kobespierre  leaped  from  the  window  into  the  court- 
yard, breaking  his  leg  by  his  fall.  Coffinhal,  enraged  in  contemplating  the 
ruin  into  which  the  drunken  imbecility  of  Henriot  had  involved  them,  seized 
him  and  threw  him  out  of  a  window  of  the  second  story  upon  a  pile  of  rub- 
bish, exclaiming, 

"  Lie  there,  wretched  drunkard !  You  are  not  worthy  to  die  on  a  scaf- 
fold !" 

Robespierre  sat  calmly  at  a  table,  awaiting  his  fate.  One  of  the  gens 
cCarmes  discharged  a  pistol  at  him.  The  ball  entered  his  left  cheek,  fractur- 
ing his  jaw  and  carrying  away  several  of  his  teeth.  His  head  dropped  upon 
the  table,  deluging  with  blood  the  papers  which  were  before  him.  The 
troops  of  the  Convention  now  filled  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  arresting  all  its  in- 
mates. The  day  was  just  beginning  to  dawn  as  the  long  file  of  prisoners 
were  led  out  into  the  Place  de  Gr^ve  to  be  conducted  to  the  hall  of  the  Con- 
vention.* 

First  came  Robespierre,  borne  by  four  men  on  a  litter.  His  fractured 
jaw  was  bound  up  by  a  handkerchief,  which  was  steeped  in  blood.  Couthon 
was  paralytic  in  his  limbs.  Unable  to  walk,  he  was  also  carried  in  the  arms 
of  several  men.  They  had  carelessly  let  him  fall,  and  his  clothes  were  torn, 
disarranged,  and  covered  with  mud.  Robespierre  the  younger,  stunned  by 
his  fall  and  with  his  broken  limb  hanging  helplessly  down,  was  conveyed 
insensible  in  the  arms  of  two  men.  The  corpse  of  Lebas  was  borne  next  in 
this  sad  train,  covered  with  a  table-cloth  spotted  with  his  blood.  Then  fol- 
lowed St.  Just,  bareheaded,  with  dejected  countenance,  his  hands  bound  be- 
hind him.  Upward  of  eighty  members  of  the  city  government,  bound  two 
and  two,  completed  the  melancholy  procession. 

It  was  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  the  captives  were  led  to  the  Tuil- 
eries.  In  the  mean  time  Legendre  had  marched  to  the  assembly-room  of 
the  Jacobins,  dispersed  them,  locked  their  doors,  and  brought  the  keys  to  the 
President  of  the  Convention.f 

Robespierre  was  laid  upon  a  table  in  an  anteroom,  while  an  interminable 
crowd  pressed  in  and  around  to  catch  a  sight  of  the  fallen  dictator.  The  un- 
happy man  was  overwhelmed  with  reproaches  and  insults,  and  feigned  death 
to  escape  this  moral  torture.     The  blood  was  freely  flowing  from  his  wound, 

*  Though  it  has  penerally  been  represented  that  Robespierre  attempted  to  commit  suicide,  the 
evidence  now  seems  to  be  conchisive  that  he  did  not.  See  Lamartine's  History  of  the  Girond- 
ists, vol.  iii.,  p.  527. 

t  Legendre,  the  butcher,  was  a  deputy  of  the  Convention.  He  was  a  man  of  extraordinary  nerve, 
and  had  been  one  of  the  most  furious  members  of  the  society  of  Jacobins. — Biog.UniverselU, 


1794.] 


FALL  OF  ROBESPIERRE. 


387 


BOmriEEEE  IT.»0    WOUmEI.    0»   Tm   T«m..   ™  TI.E   CTT    EM..., 

coaeuktii,"  in  Ins  ,,,....11,,  and  ctoking  l.im  as  it  trickled  dmvn  Ws  tkroat 
ThfrTmh.g  was  intcscl.y  hot;  not  abreath  of  pure  a.r  could  , be  wound  d 
man  "bale  -insatiable  thirst  and  a  burning  fever  consumed  h,m ;  an  bus 
r  en  ah  cd  for  more  than  an  hour,  enduring  the  nitensest  pangs  of  bod  ly 

have  consiened  the  Deputies  to  the  gudlotme.       .      ,   ,         .  »    m,p 

Tt  five  o'clock  the  carts  of  the  cond.-mned  received  the  prisoners.*    The 

*  There  is  some  confusion  respecting  the  dates  of  these  events;  but  we  follow  the  dates  as 
given  by  Lamartine. 


388 


THE  FEENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXYl. 


and  with  broken  bones,  were  thrown  into  the  first  cart  with  the  corpse  of 
Lebas.     As  the  cart  jolted  over  the  pavement  shrieks  of  anguish  were  ex- 


BOBEBPIEBBE  AND  FIS  OOMFANIONS  LED  TO  EZKOUTION. 

torted  from  the  victims.  At  six  o'clock  they  reached  the  steps  of  the  guil- 
lotine. Eobespierre  ascended  the  scaffold  with  a  firm  step ;  but,  as  the  exe- 
cutioner brutally  tore  the  bandage  from  his  inflamed  wound,  he  uttered  a 
shriek  of  torture  which  pierced  every  ear.  The  dull  sullen  sound  of  the 
falling  axe  was  heard,  and  the  head  of  Robespierre  fell  ghastly  into  the  bas- 
ket. For  a  moment  there  was  silence,  and  then  the  crowd  raised  a  shout  as 
if  a  great  victory  had  been  achieved  and  the  long-sought  blessings  of  the 
Revolution  attained.* 

Thus  died  Robespierre,  in  the  thirty-fifth  year  of  his  age.  His  character 
will  probably  ever  remain  a  myster3\  "  His  death  was  the  date  and  not  the 
cause  of  the  cessation  of  terror.  Deaths  would  have  ceased  by  his  triumphs, 
as  they  did  by  his  death.    Thus  did  Divine  justice  dishonor  his  repentance, 

*  "Robespierre,"  said  Napoleon,  "was  by  no  means  the  worst  character  who  fifxured  in  the 
Revolution.  He  opposed  trying  the  queen.  He  was  not  an  atheist ;  on  the  contrary,  he  had 
publicly  maintained  the  existence  of  a  Supreme  Being  in  opposition  to  many  of  his  colleagues. 
Neither  was  he  of  opinion  that  it  was  necessary  to  exterminate  all  priests  and  nobles,  like  many 
others.  Marat,  for  example,  maintained  that  it  was  necessary  that  six  hundred  thousand  heads 
should  fall.  Robespierre  wanted  to  proclaim  the  king  an  outlaw,  and  not  to  go  through  the  ri- 
diculous mockery  of  trying  him.  Robespierre  was  a  fanatic,  a  monster,  but  he  was  incorrupti- 
ble, and  incapable  of  robbing  or  causing  the  deaths  of  others  either  from  personal  enmity  or  a  de- 
sire of  enriching  himself.  He  was  an  enthusiast,  but  one  who  really  believed  that  he  was  acting 
right,  and  died  not  worth  a  sou.  In  some  respects  Robespierre  maybe  said  to  have  been  an  hon- 
est man." — Napoleon  at  St.  Helena,  p.  590. 


1794.]  THE  THERMIDORIANS  AND  THE  JACOBINS.  "         389 

and  cast  misfortune  on  his  good  intentions,  making  of  his  tomb  a  gulf  filled 
up.  It  has  made  of  his  memory  an  enigma  of  which  history  trembles  to  pro- 
nounce the  solution,  fearing  to  do  him  injustice  if  she  brand  it  as  a  crime,  or 
to  create  horror  if  she  should  term  it  a  virtue.  This  man  was,  and  must 
ever  remain,  shadowy  and  undefined."* 

Twenty -two  were  beheaded  with  Robespierre.  The  next  day  seventy  who 
were  arrested  at  the  Hotel  de  Ville  were  sent  to  the  guillotine.  The  follow- 
ing day  twelve  more  bled  upon  the  scaffold.  In  three  days  one  hundred 
and  fourteen  perished,  untried,  by  that  tyranny  which  had  supplanted  the 
tyranny  of  Eobespierre.f 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

THE  THERMIDORIANS  AND   THE   JACOBINS. 

The  Reign  of  Committees. — The  Jeunesse  Dorde. — The  Reaction. — Motion  against  Fouquier 
Tinville. — Apotheosis  of  Rousseau. — Battle  of  Fleurus. — Brutal  Order  of  the  Committee  of 
Public  Welfare. — Composition  of  the  two  Parties. — Speech  of  Billaud  Varcnncs. — Speech  of 
Legendre. — The  Club-house  of  the  Jacobins  closed. — Victories  of  Pichcgru. — Alliance  between 
Holland  and  France. — Advance  of  Kleber. — Peace  with  Prussia. — Quiberon. — Riot  in  Lyons. 

The  fall  of  Robespierre  was  hailed  with  general  enthusiasm,  for  he  was 
believed  to  be  the  chief  instigator  of  that  carnage  which,  in  reality,  at  the 
time  of  his  fall,  he  was  struggling  to  repress.  There  were  now  in  the  Con- 
vention the  headless  remains  of  four  parties,  the  Girondists,  Hebcrtists,  Dan- 
tonists,  and  Robespierrians.  The  able  leaders  of  all  these  parties  had,  each 
In  their  turn,  perished  upon  the  scaffold.  There  now  arose  from  these  ruins 
a  party,  which  was  called,  as  we  have  before  remarked,  Thermidorians,  from 
the  month  Thermidor  {July\  in  which  its  supremacy  commenced.  A  new 
government  was  immediately  and  noiselessly  evolved,  the  result  of  necessity. 
The  extreme  concentration  of  power  in  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety,  over 

*  History  of  the  Girondists,  by  Lamartine,  vol.  iii.,  p.  535. 

t  "  Mirabeau,  Marat,  Brissot,  Danton,  Robespien-e  were  all  heads  cut  off  in  succession;  and 
all  succeeding  heads  were  saved  only  by  having  recourse  to  one  head  and  one  arm  in  the  Em- 
peror Napoleon." — Life  and  Works  of  John  Adams,  vol.  vi.,  p.  547. 

Though  Mirabeau  died  a  natural  death,  he  would  unquestionably  have  been  guillotined  had  he 
lived  a  few  months  longer. 

Meda,  the  officer  of  the  Convention  who  arrested  Robespierre  and  his  associates  at  the  H6tel 
de  Ville,  thus  describes  the  event:  "The  head  of  my  column  moved  fonvard ;  a  terrible  noise 
ensued;  my  ten  pieces  of  artillery  were  brought  forward  and  ready;  those  opposed  to  me  in  like 
manner.  I  threw  myself  between  the  two  lines.  I  flew  to  the  cannoneers  of  the  enemy.  I  spoke 
to  them  of  their  countri' ;  of  the  respect  due  to  the  national  representation  ;  in  short,  I  do  not 
well  remember  what  I  said,  but  the  result  was  that  they  all  came  over  to  us.  I  instantly  dis- 
mounted, seized  my  pistols,  addressed  myself  to  my  grenadiers,  and  made  for  the  stair-case  of 
the  Hotel  de  Ville."  He  describes  the  manner  in  which  he  forced  his  way  up  the  stairs,  broke 
open  the  door,  and  found  about  fifty  people  assembled  in  the  room  in  great  confusion.  Robes- 
pierre was  sitting  at  a  table,  his  head  leaning  upon  his  hand.  "I  rushed  upon  him,"  he  contin- 
ues, in  his  narrative,  "presented  my  sabre  to  his  breast,  'Yield,  traitor,'  I  cried.  'It  is  thou 
art  the  traitor,'  he  replied,  'and  I  will  have  thee  shot.'  I  instantly  drew  out  one  of  my  pistols, 
and  fired  at  him.  I  aimed  at  his  breast,  but  the  ball  hit  him  about  the  chin,  and  shattered  all 
his  left  jaw.  He  fell  from  his  chair.  At  the  sound  of  the  explosion  his  brother  threw  himself 
through  the  window.     The  uproar  was  immense.     I  cried  '  Vive  la  R^publique  !'  " 


390 


THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION. 


[Chap.  XXXVII. 

which  Eobespierre  had  been  supposed  to  rule  as  a  dictator,  was  now  succeed- 
ed by  a  dissemination  of  power,  wide  and  ineffective.  Sixteen  committees 
became  the  executive  of  France  ;  one  Assembly  its  legislative  power.  These 
committees  were  composed  of  members  numbering  from  twelve  to  fifty.  The 
Committee  of  Public  Welfare  contained  twelve,  and  superintended  military 
and  diplomatic  operations ;  that  of  General  Safety  sixteen,  and  had  the  di- 
rection of  the  police  ;  that  of  Finance  forty-eight.  Such  was  the  new  gov- 
ernment, under  which,  after  the  fall  of  Eobespierre,  the  Republic  struggled 
along. 

The  horrors  of  the  Reign  of  Terror  were  now  producing  a  decided  reac- 
tion. Many  of  the  young  men  of  Paris,  who  abhorred  the  past  scenes  of  vi- 
olence, organized  themselves  into  a  band  called  the  Jeunesse  Doree,  or  Gilded 
Youth,  and  commenced  vigorous  opposition  to  the  Jacobins.  They  wore  a 
distinctive  dress,  and  armed  themselves  with  a  short  club  loaded  with  lead. 
Frequent  conflicts  took  place  in  the  streets  between  the  two  parties,  in  which 
the  Jeunesse  Doree  were  generally  victorious.  The  Terrorists  having  be- 
come unpopular,  and  being  in  the  decided  minority,  the  guillotine  was  soon 
allowed  to  rest.  Mercy  rapidly  succeeded  cruelty.  The  captives  who  crowd- 
ed the  prisons  of  Paris  were  gradually  liberated,  and  even  the  Revolution- 
ary Tribunal  was  first  modified  and  then  abolished. 

The  reaction  was  so  strong,  annulling  past  decrees,  liberating  suspected 
Loyalists,  and  punishing  violent  Revolutionists,  that  even  many  of  the  tniy 


▲POTUSOBIB   OF   BOUSBEAU,  OCTOIIEE   11,  1T94. 


1794.] 


THE  THERMIDORIANS  AND  THE  JACOBINS. 


391 


friends  of  popular  rights  were  alarmed  lest  the  nation  should  drift  back 
again  under  the  sway  of  old  feudal  despotism.  M.  Frdron,  in  the  following 
terms,  moved,  in  the  Convention,  an  act  of  accusation  against  the  execrable 
Fouquier  Tinville,  who  had  been  public  accuser: 

"  I  demand  that  the  earth  be  at  length  delivered  from  that  monster,  and 
that  Fouquier  be  sent  to  hell,  there  to  wallow  in  the  blood  he  has  shed." 

The  decree  was  passed  by  acclamation.  In  the  space  of  eight  or  ten  days 
after  the  fall  of  llobespiei-re,  out  of  ten  thousand  suspected  persons  not  one 
remained  in  the  prisons  of  Paris.*  For  many  weeks  nothing  of  moment  oc- 
curred in  the  Convention  but  the  petty  strife  of  fections.  On  the  11th  of 
October  the  remains  of  Rousseau  were  transferred  to  the  Pantheon  with  all 
the  accompaniments  of  funeral  pageantry.  They  were  deposited  by  the  side 
of  the  remains  of  Voltaire.  Upon  his  tomb  were  inscribed  the  words,  "  Here 
reposes  the  man  of  nature  and  of  truth." 

About  a  month  before  the  flill  of  Robespierre,  on  the  26th  of  June,  the 
celebrated  battle  of  Fleurus  was  fought.  The  sanguinary  engagement  ex- 
tended along  a  semicircle  nearly  thirty  miles  in  extent.  The  French  had 
brought  up  about  eighty  thousand  troops  to  oppose  an  equal  number  of  the 
Allies.  The  French,  under  Pichegru,  were  victorious  at  every  point,  and 
the  Allies  were  compelled  to  retreat.     They  rallied  for  a  short  time  in  the 


BATTI^  OF   FI.EntrS. 


vicinity  of  Brussels,  but  were  soon  again  compelled  to  letire,  and  all  Bel- 
gium fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Republicans. 

*  Lacretelle. 


392  •  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChaP.  XXXVii. 

About  the  middle  of  July  two  armies  of  the  French,  amounting  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand,  effected  a  junction  in  the  city  of  Brussels.  The 
Committee  of  Public  Safety  had  passed  an  inhuman  decree  that  no  quarter 
should  be  given  to  the  English.  The  soldiers  refused  obedience  to  this  de- 
cree. A  sergeant,  having  taken  some  English  prisoners,  brought  them  to 
an  officer. 

"  Why  did  you  spare  their  lives?"  the  ofl&cer  inquired. 

"Because,"  the  sergeant  replied,  "it  was  saving  so  manj^  shots." 

"  True,"  rejoined  the  of&cer,  "  but  the  Kepresentatives  will  oblige  us  to 
shoot  them." 

"  It  is  not  we,"  retorted  the  sergeant,  "  who  will  shoot  them.  Send  them 
to  the  Kepresentatives.  If  they  are  barbarous  enough,  why,  let  them  kill  and 
eat  them  if  they  like."* 

While  the  French  armies  were  gaining  these  signal  victories  all  along  the 
Ehine,  war  was  raging  with  almost  equal  ferocity  in  the  ravines  of  the  Alps 
and  at  the  base  of  the  Pyrenees,  as  the  Republicans  struggled  to  repel  the 
invading  hosts  of  Austria,  England,  and  Spain. 

The  Thermidorians  and  the  Jacobins  were  now  the  two  great  parties 
struggling  for  power  all  over  France.  The  Thermidorians  were  the  mod- 
erate conservative  party,  and  the  Jacobins  called  them  Aristocrats.  The 
Jacobins  were  the  radical,  progressive,  revolutionary  party,  and  the  Ther- 
midorians called  them  Terrorists.  The  more  intelligent  and  reputable  por- 
tion of  the  community  were  with  the  Thermidorians ;  the  women,  weary 
of  turmoil  and  blood,  were  very  generally  with  them ;  and  the  very  efiicient 
military  band  of  young  men  called  the  Jeunesse  Doree  (gilded  youth),  who  be- 
longed to  the  rich  and  middle  classes,  were  very  efiicient  supporters  of  this 
party,  hurling  defiance  upon  the  Jacobins,  and  ever  ready  for  a  street  fray 
with  their  clubs.  The  Jacobins  were  composed  of  the  mob,  generally  head- 
ed by  those  vigorous,  reckless,  determined  men  who  usually  form  what 
Thiers  calls  "the  ferocious  democracy."  Freron's  journal.  The  Orator  of  the 
People,  was  the  eloquent  advocate  of  the  Thermidorians,  now  rising  rapidly 
to  power,  and  it  lanched  incessant  and  merciless  anathemas  against  the  rev- 
oluiioiiary  canaille.  The  females  who  advocated  Jacobinism  were  called  the 
furies  of  the  guillotine,  because  they  had  frequently  formed  circles  around  the 
scafibld,  assailing  the  victims  with  ribald  abuse.  These  two  parties  were  so 
equally  divided,  and  the  strife  was  so  fierce  between  them,  that  scenes  of 
fearful  uproar  frequently  took  place  not  only  in  the  Convention  but  through- 
out all  France.  The  spirit  of  the  Jacobins  at  this  time  may  be  seen  in  the 
following  brief  extract  from  a  speech  of  Billaud  Varennes  : 

"  People  talk,"  said  he,  "  of  shootings  and  drownings,  but  they  do  not  rec- 
ollect that  the  individuals  for  whom  they  feel  pity  had  furnished  succors  to 
the  banditti.  They  do  not  recollect  the  cruelties  perpetrated  on  our  volun- 
teers, who  were  hanged  upon  trees  and  shot  in  files.  If  vengeance  is  de- 
manded for  the  banditti,  let  the  families  of  two  hundred  thousand  Republic- 
ans, mercilessly  slaughtered,  come  also  to  demand  vengeance.  The  course 
of  counter- revolutionists  is  known.  When,  in  the  time  of  the  Constituent 
Assembly,  they  wanted  to  bring  the  Revolution  to  trial,  they  called  the  Jac- 

*  Thiers,  vol.  iii.,  p.  84. 


1794.J  THE  THERMIDORIANS  AND  THE  JACOBINS.  893 

obins  disorganizers  and  shot  them  in  the  Field  of  Mars.  After  the  2d  of 
September,  when  they  wanted  to  prevent  the  establishment  of  the  Republic, 
they  called  them  quaffers  of  blood  and  loaded  them  with  atrocious  calumnies. 
They  are  now  recommencing  the  same  machinations ;  but  let  them  not  ex- 
pect to  triumph.  The  Patriots  have  been  able  to  keep  silence  for  a  moment, 
but  the  lion  is  not  dead  when  he  slumbers,  and  when  he  awakes  he  exter- 
minates all  his  enemies.  The  trenches  are  open,  the  Patriots  are  about  to 
rouse  themselves  and  to  resume  all  their  energy.  We  have  already  risked 
our  lives  a  thousand  times.  If  the  scaffold  awaits  us,  let  us  recollect  that 
it  was  the  scaffold  which  covered  the  immortal  Sidney  with  glory." 

This  speech,  reported  in  the  journal  of  the  Jacobins,  called  the  Journal  de 
la  Moidagne,  created  great  excitement,  and  gave  rise  to  one  of  the  stormiest 
debates  in  the  Convention.  The  Jacobins  were  accused  of  wishing  to  di- 
rect the  mob  against  the  Convention.  They,  on  the  other  hand,  accused  the 
Thermidorians  of  releasing  well-known  Eoyalists  from  prison,  and  of  thus 
encouraging  a  counter-revolution.  Legendre,  speaking  in  behalf  of  the 
Thermidorians,  in  reply  to  the  Jacobins,  said, 

"  What  have  you  to  complain  of,  you  w^ho  are  constantly  accusing  us  ? 
Is  it  because  citizens  are  no  longer  sent  to  prison  by  hundreds  ?  because  the 
guillotine  no  longer  dispatches  fifty,  sixty,  or  eighty  persons  per  day  ?  Ah ! 
I  must  confess  that  in  this  point  our  pleasure  differs  from  yours,  and  that 
our  manner  of  sweeping  the  prisons  is  not  the  same.  We  have  visited  them 
ourselves ;  we  have  made,  as  far  as  it  was  possible  to  do  so,  a  distinction  be- 
tween the  Aristocrats  and  the  Patriots ;  if  we  have  done  wrong,  here  are  our 
heads  to  answer  for  it.  But  while  we  make  reparation  for  crimes,  while  we 
are  striving  to  make  you  forget  that  those  crimes  are  your  own,  why  do  you 
go  to  a  notorious  society  to  denounce  us,  and  to  mislead  the  people  who  at- 
tend there,  fortunately  in  no  great  numbers  ?  I  move  that  the  Convention 
take  measures  to  prevent  its  members  from  going  and  preaching  up  rebel- 
lion at  the  Jacobins'."   .^ 

The  conflict  extended  from  the  Convention  into  the  streets,  and  for  sever- 
al days  there  were  serious  riots.  Angry  groups  in  hostile  bands  paraded 
the  gardens  of  the  Tuileries  and  the  Palais  Royal — the  partisans  of  the  Ther- 
midorians shouting  ^'-  Down  with  the  Terrorists  and  Rohespierre^s  tail."  Their 
opponents  shouted  "  The  Jacobins  forever  !     Down  with  the  Aristocrats  f" 

On  the  9th  of  November  there  was  a  battle  between  the  two  parties  in 
the  Rue  St.  Honore,  in  and  around  the  hall  of  the  Jacobins,  which  lasted 
for  several  hours.  A  number  of  the  women,  called  Furies  of  the  Guillotine, 
who  mingled  in  the  fray,  were  caught  by  the  Jeunesse  Doree^  and,  in  defiance 
of  all  the  rules  of  chivalry,  had  their  clothes  stripped  from  their  backs  and 
were  ignominiously  whipped.  It  was  midnight  before  the  disturbance  was 
quelled.     A  stormy  debate  ensued  next  day  in  the  Convention. 

"  Wliero  has  tyranny,"  said  Rewbel,  "  been  organized  ?  At  the  Jacobins'. 
Where  has  it  found  its  supporters  and  satellites?  At  the  Jacobins'.  Who 
have  covered  France  with  mourning,  carried  despair  into  fomilies,  filled  the 
country  with  prisons,  and  rendered  the  Republic  so  odious  that  a  slave, 
pressed  down  by  the  weight  of  his  irons,  would  refuse  to  live  under  it? 
Tte  Jacobins.  Who  regret  the  frightful  government  under  which  we  have 
Vol.  II.— H 


594 


THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXVII. 


lived  ?     The  Jacobins.     If  you  have  not  now  the  courage  to  declare  your- 
selves, you  have  no  longer  a  Republic,  because  you  have  Jacobins." 

Influenced  by  such  sentiments,  the  Convention  passed  a  decree  "  to  close 
the  door  of  places  where  factions  arise  and  where  civil  war  is  preached." 


THE  CLUB-HOUSE  OF  THE  JACOBINS  CLOSET). 


Thus  terminated  the  long  reign  of  the  Jacobin  Club.  The  act  was  greeted 
with  acclaim  by  the  general  voice  of  France.* 

The  French,  who  had  twelve  hundred  thousand  men  under  arms,  were 
now  in  possession  of  all  the  important  points  on  the  Rhine,  and  every  where 
,held  their  assailants  at  bay.f  The  latter  part  of  December,  Pichegru,  driv- 
ing the  allied  Dutch,  English,  and  Austrians  before  him,  crossed  the  Meuse 
on  the  ice  and  entered  Holland.  The  Republican  party  in  Holland  was 
numerous  and  detested  their  rulers.  They  immediately  prepared  to  rise  and 
welcome  their  friends,  the  French.  In  this  desperate  situation  the  Stadt- 
holder  implored  a  truce,  offering  as  a  condition  of  peace  neutrality  and  in- 
demnification for  the  expenses  of  the  war.:}:  Pichegru  refused  the  truce ; 
but  sent  the  terras  of  peace  for  the  consideration  of  the  government  in  Paris. 
The  proffered  terms  were  refused,  and  Pichegru  was  ordered  to  press  on  and 
restore  the  Dutch  Republic.  At  the  head  of  two  hundred  thousand  troops 
he  spread,  like  a  torrent,  over  all  Holland.  He  was  every  where  received 
with  open  arms  and  as  a  deliverer.  The  Allies,  with  the  emigrants,  fled  in 
all  directions,  some  by  land  and  some  by  sea.  A  portion  of  the  Dutch  fleet, 
at  anchor  near  the  Texel,  was  frozen  in  by  the  unparalleled  severity  of  the 


*  "This  popular  body  had  powerfully  served  the  Revolution  when,  in  order  to  repel  Europe, 
it  was  necessary  to  place  the  government  in  the  multitude,  and  to  give  tlie  Republic  all  the  en- 
ergy of  defense  ;  but  now  it  only  obstructed  the  new  order  of  things." — Mignet,  282. 

t  "At  one  time  France  had  seventeen  hundred  thousand  fighters  on  foot." — Toulongeon,  vol. 
iii.,  p.  194.  t  Thiers,  vol.  iii.,  p.  186. 


1795.] 


THE  THERMIDORIANS  AND  THE  JACOBINS. 


395 


winter.  A  squadron  of  horse-artillery  galloped  across  the  ice  and  sum- 
moned it  to  surrender.  The  fleet  was  compelled  to  strike  its  flags  to  these 
novel  assailants.  On  the  20th  of  January,  1795,  Pichegru  entered  Amster- 
dam in  triumph.  The  inhabitants  crowded  from  the  walls  to  meet  him, 
shouting  "  The  French  Republic  forever  !  Liberty  forever  T 


THE  FRENCH  ENTEEING  AMSTERDAM  ON  THE  ICE. 

Holland,  organizing  as  the  Republic  of  the  United  Provinces,  on  the  16th 
of  May  entered  into  an  alliance  offensive  and  defensive  with  the  French  Re- 
public, to  be  perpetual  during  the  continuance  of  the  war.  The  two  mfant 
republics  needed  mutual  support  to  resist  the  combined  monarchies  of  En- 
gland and  the  Continent.* 

While  Pichegru  was  gaining  such  victories  on  the  Lower  Rhine  and  in 
Holland,  Kleber  was  also,  on  the  Upper  Rhine,  driving  the  Austrians  before 
him.  He  boldly  crossed  the  river  in  the  impetuous  pursuit,  and  carried  the 
horrors  of  war  into  the  enemies'  country.  Soon,  however,  he  was  crowded 
with  such  numbers  of  antagonists  that  he  was  compelled,  in  his  turn,  to 
commence  a  retreat.  Again,  re-enforcements  arriving,  he  assumed  the  offens- 
ive.    Thus  the  tide  of  war  ebbed  and  flowed. 

Prussia,  alarmed  by  these  signal  victories  of  the  Republican  troops,  and 
threatened  with  invasion,  was  anxious  to  withdraw  from  the  coalition.    The 

•  «'The  first  act  of  the  Representatives  was  to  publish  a  i)roclaTnation,  in  which  they  declared 
that  they  would  respect  all  private  property,  excpptinn,  however,  that  of  the  Stadtholder ;  that 
the  latter,  being  the  only  foe  of  the  French  Republic,  his  property  belonrrcd  to  the  conquerors  as 
an  indemnification  for  the  expenses  of  the  war ;  that  the  French  entered  as  friends  of  the  Bata- 
vian  nation,  not  to  impose  upon  it  any  religion  or  any  form  of  frovernment  whatever,  but  to  deliver 
it  from  its  oppressors,  and  to  confer  upon  it  the  means  of  exjjrcssing  its  wishes.  This  proclama- 
tion, followed  up  by  corresponding  acts,  produced  a  most  favorable  impression." — Thiers,  vol. 
iii.,  p.  184. 


396 


THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXX VII. 


THE  PKENCH  OKOSSrNG  THE  EIIINE  UNDEK  KLEBEB. 


king  sent  a  commissioner  to  Pichegra's  head-quarters  to  propose  peace. 
Tlie  commissioners  from  the  two  countries  met  at  Basle,  and  on  the  5th  of 
April  a  treaty  of  peace  was  signed.  The  French  agreed  to  evacuate  the 
Prussian  provinces  they  had  occupied  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Rhine,  and 
the  Prussian  monarchy  agreed  that  there  should  be  peace,  amity,  and  a 
good  understanding  between  the  King  of  Prussia  and  the  French  Republic. 

Spain,  also,  trembling  in  view  of  the  triumphant  march  of  Dugommier 
through  the  defiles  of  the  Pyrenees,  made  proposals  of  accommodation, 
promising  to  acknowledge  the  Republic  and  to  pay  indemnities  for  the  war. 
Peace  with  the  Peninsula  was  signed  at  Basle  on  the  12th  of  July.  This 
peace,  which  detached  a  Bourbon  from  the  coalition,  was  hailed  throughout 
France  with  transports  of  joy.* 

England,  Austria,  and  Naples  still  remained  firm  in  their  determination 
to  crush  the  Republic.  William  Pitt  led  the  ministry  with  his  warlike 
measures,  and  triumphed  over  the  peaceful  policy  of  Sheridan  and  Fox. 
He  thus,  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  converted  all  Europe  into  a  field  of 
blood.  Roused  by  the  energies  of  Pitt,  tlic  English  government  organized 
a  very  formidable  expedition,  to  be  landed  in  La  Vendee,  to  rouse  and  rally 
the  Royalists  all  over  France,  and  thus  to  reinvigorate  the  energies  of  civil 
war.  A  squadron  was  fitted  out,  consisting  of  three  74-gun  ships,  two  frig- 
ates of  44  guns,  four  frigates  of  30  to  36  guns,  and  several  gun-boats  and 

*  "Tuscany,  forced,  in  spite  of  herself,  to  give  up  her  neutrality  by  the  English  embassador, 
who,  threatening  her  with  an  English  squadron,  had  allowed  her  but  twelve  hours  to  decide, 
was  impatient  to  resume  her  part,  especially  since  the  French  were  at  the  gates  of  Genoa.  Good 
understanding  and  friendship  were  re-established  between  the  two  states." — Thiers,  vol.  iii.,  p. 
230. 


;.795.] 


THE  THEKMIDOIUANS   AND    THE  JACOBINS. 


397 


VICTORY   OF    QUlIiEKON. 


transports.  This  was  the  first  division,  which,  as  soon  as  it  was  established 
in  Franco,  was  to  be  followed  by  another.  The  fleet  came  to  anchor  in  the 
Bay  of  Quiberon  on  the  25th  of  June.  A  motley  mass  of  about  seven 
thousand  men  were  speedily  landed ;  the  Royalists  soon  joined  them,  mak- 
ing an  army  of  some  thii-teen  thousand.  General  Iloche,  who  had  for  some 
time  been  valiantly  and  most  humanely  struggling  for  the  pacification  of 


MA88AOBK   IN   LYON  8   LED  BY   TIIK  FBIESTB. 


398  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXVIII. 

La  Vendue,  marched  to  repel  them.  A  few  bloody  battles  ensued,  in  which 
the  unhappy  invaders  were  driven  into  a  narrow  penmsula,  where,  by  a 
midnight  assault,  they  most  miserably  perished.  A  few  only  escaped  to 
the  ships ;  many  were  drowned,  and  a  large  number  were  mercilessly  put 
to  the  sword.  The  Convention  had  decreed  the  penalty  of  death  to  any 
Frenchman  who  should  enter  France  with  arms  in  his  hands. 

At  Lyons  there  was  a  general  rising  of  the  Royalists  and  the  reactionary 
party  against  the  Revolutionists.  The  Royalists  proved  themselves  not  one 
whit  behind  the  Jacobins  in  the  energy  with  which  they  could  push  their 
Reign  of  Terror.  Led  by  the  priests,  the  Royalist  mob  broke  into  the  pris- 
ons and  murdered  seventy  or  eighty  prisoners  who  were  accused  of  revolu- 
tionary violence.  One  prison  was  set  on  fire,  and  all  its  inmates  perished 
miserably  in  the  flames. 

The  disturbances  in  Lyons  were  soon  quelled,  and  Hoche,  having  anni- 
hilated the  force  which  the  English  had  landed  in  the  Bay  of  Quiberon, 
gradually  succeeded  in  introducing  tranquillity  into  La  Vendue.  Many  of 
the  Royalists  came  to  his  camp  to  seek  terms  of  reconciliation  with  the  Re- 
public. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

DISSOLUTION    OF   THE    CONVENTION. 


Famine  in  Paris. — Strife  between  the  Jeunesse  Doie?  and  the  Jacobins. — Riots. — Scene  in  the 
Convention. — War  with  the  Allies. — A  new  Constitution. — Insurrection  of  the  Sections. — 
Energy  of  General  Bona])arte. — Discomfiture  of  the  Sections. — Narrative  of  the  Duchess  of 
Abrantes. — Clemency  of  the  Convention. — Its  final  Acts  and  Dissolution,  and  Establishment 
of  the  Directory. 

Let  us  return  to  Paris.  The  unprecedented  severity  of  the  winter  had 
caused  fearful  suffering  among  the  populace  of  Paris.  The  troubled  times 
had  broken  up  all  the  ordinary  employments  of  peace.  The  war,  which 
had  enrolled  a  million  and  a  half  of  men  under  arms,  had  left  the  fields  un- 
cultivated and  deserted.  A  cruel  famine  wasted  both  city  and  country. 
The  Jacobins,  who,  though  their  clubs  were  closed,  still  met  at  the  corners 
of  the  streets  and  in  the  coffee-houses,  took  advantage  of  this  public  misery 
to  turn  popular  indignation  against  the  victorious  Thermidorians.  Tumults 
were  again  renewed,  and  hostile  partisans  met  in  angry  conflicts.  The 
young  men  of  the  two  parties  had  frequent  encounters  in  the  pits  of  the 
theatres,  bidding  each  other  defiance,  and  often  proceeding  to  blows. 

At  the  Theiltre  Feydeau,  as  in  many  other  places,  there  was  a  bust  of  Ma- 
rat, who  was  still  idolized  by  the  Jacobins.  The  young  men  of  the  Jeunesse 
Dorde,  in  expression  of  their  detestation  of  Marat,  and  as  an  insult  to  the 
Jacobins,  climbed  the  balcony,  threw  down  the  bust,  and  with  shouts  of  ex- 
ecration dragged  it  through  the  mire  of  the  streets. 

The  Jacobins,  exasperated,  swore  to  avenge  the  insult.  Strongly  armed, 
they  paraded  the  streets,  carrying  a  bust  of  Marat  in  triumph,  and  swearing 
bloody  vengeance  upon  any  who  might  attempt  to  disturb  their  march.  The 
firmness  of  the  Convention  alone  averted  a  sanguinary  conflict.     The  public 


1795.] 


DISSOLUTION  OF  THE  CONVENTION. 


399 


THE  JEUNTO8E  DOE^K  TUROWINO   TUB   BUST  OF  MARAT  INTO  TUE  GITTEE. 

distress,  intense  and  almost  universal,  embarrassed  and  overwhelmed  the  Con 
vention  with  the  most  difficult  questions  in  the  endeavor  to  afford  relief  On 
the  loth  of  March  the  supply  of  food  in  Paris  was  so  small  that  it  was  deemed 
necessary  to  put  the  inhabitants  upon  rations,  each  individual  beino-  allowed 
but  one  pound  of  bread  per  day.  Agitation  and  tumults  were  now  rapidly 
increasmg,  and  there  were  daily  riots.     The  Convention  was  continually  be- 


400  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXYIII. 

sieged  and  insulted  by  haggard  multitudes  with,  petitions  which  assumed 
the  tone  of  fiercest  threats.  Scenes  of  confusion  ensued  which  bade  defiance 
to  all  law,  and  which  there  was  no  authority  to  repress. 

On  the  20th  of  May  there  was  one  of  the  most  fearful  tumults  which  the 
Eevolution  had  yet  witnessed.  At  five  in  the  morning. the  generale  was 
beating  in  the  public  squares  and  the  tocsin  ringing  in  the  faubourgs.  The 
populace  were  rapidly  mustering  for  any  deeds  of  violence  to  which  their 
leaders  might  conduct  them.  At  eleven  o'clock  the  Convention  commenced 
its  sitting.  One  of  the  members  brought  in  a  plan,  which  he  had  secretly 
obtained,  of  a  very  efl&ciently-organized  insurrection.  A  crowd,  mostly  of 
women,  filled  the  galleries.  As  the  plan  was  read,  which  appalled  the  dep- 
uties, the  galleries  vociferously  applauded.  The  Convention  passed  a  few 
harmless  decrees,  such  as,  1st,  that  the  city  government  was  responsible  for 
any  attack  upon  the  Convention ;  2d,  that  all  the  citizens  were  bound  to  re- 
ceive orders  from  the  Convention ;  and  3d,  that  there  should  be  no  insar- 
rection.  These  decrees  but  provoked  the  derision  of  the  galleries.  The 
tumult  now  became  so  great,  the  women  shouting  "Bread!"  and  shaking 
their  fists  at  the  president  and  the  deputies,  that  all  business  was  at  a  stand, 
and  not  a  word  of  debate  could  be  heard. 

At  length,  some  soldiers  were  sent  into  the  galleries  with  bayonets,  and 
the  women  were  driven  into  the  streets.  They  soon,  however,  returned, 
aided  by  their  friends.  They  battered  down  all  the  doors  and  broke  in  and 
filled  the  hall  with  an  armed,  shouting,  brutal  mob.  Some  of  the  citizens 
rallied  for  the  defense  of  the  Convention,  and  a  fierce  battle  raged  within 
the  hall  and  around  the  doors.  Pistols  and  muskets  were  discharged,  swords 
clashed,  bayonet  crossed  bayonet,  while  yells  and  shrieks  and  imprecations 
deafened  the  ear.  Drunken  women  strode  over  the  benches  and  clambered 
to  the  president's  chair.  A  young  deputy,  Feraud,  was  stabbed,  then  shot ; 
his  head  was  cut  off,  and,  pierced  by  a  pike,  was  thrust  into  the  face  of  th6 
president,  Boissy  d'Anglas,  who  most  heroically  maintained  his  post  and  his 
composure  through  all  these  perilous  scenes.  For  six  hours  the  tumult 
raged  unabated.  It  was  now  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  the  mob 
drove  all  the  deputies,  like  a  flock  of  sheep,  into  the  centre  of  the  hall,  sur- 
rounded them  with  bristling  baj^onets  and  pikes,  and  ordered  them  to  issue 
decrees  for  the  relief  of  the  people.  At  length,  near  midnight,  a  detach- 
ment of  the  National  Guard  arrived,  dispersed  the  crowd  around  the  palace, 
and,  entering  the  hall  with  fixed  bayonets,  scattered  the  rioters.  Tranquil- 
lity being  restored,  one  of  the  members  rose  and  said, 

"  It  is  then  true  that  this  Assembly,  the  cradle  of  the  Eepublic,  has  once 
more  well  nigh  been  its  tomb.  Fortunately,  the  crime  of  the  conspirators  is 
prevented.  But,  Representatives,  you  would  not  be  worthy  of  the  nation  if 
you  were  not  to  avenge  it  in  a  signal  manner." 

The  rest  of  the  night  was  passed  in  devising  schemes  to  crush  the  Jacobin 
power  which  had  organized  this  insurrection.  The  Duchess  of  Abrantes, 
who  was  then  in  Paris,  thus  alludes  to  these  events :  "  While  the  most 
frightful  scenes,"  she  writes,  "  were  passing  in  the  Convention,  the  respect- 
able inhabitants  of  Paris  shut  themselves  up  in  their  houses,  concealed  their 
valuables,  and  awaited,  with  fearful  anxiety,  the  result.     Toward  evening 


1795.] 


DISSOLUTION  OF  THE  CONVENTION. 


401 


60ENE   IN  THE  NATIONAL  CONVENTION. 


my  brotlier,  whom  we  had  not  seen  during  the  day,  came  home  to  get  some- 
thing to  eat ;  he  was  almost  famished,  not  having  tasted  food  since  the  morn- 
ing. Disorder  still  raged,  and  we  heard  the  most  frightful  noise  in  the 
streets,  mingled  with  the  beating  of  drums.  My  brother  had  scarcely  finished 
his  hasty  repast  when  General  Bonaparte  arrived  to  make  a  similar  claim 
upon  our  hospitality.  He  also  had  tasted  nothing  since  the  morning,  for  all 
the  restaurateurs  were  closed.  He  soon  dispatched  what  my  brother  had 
left,  and  as  he  was  eating  he  told  us  the  news  of  the  day.     It  was  most  ap- 

Cc 


402  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXVIII. 

palling ;  mj  brother  had  informed  us  but  of  part.  He  did  not  know  of  the 
assassination  of  the  unfortunate  Feraud,  whose  body  had  been  cut  almost 
piecemeal.  '  They  took  his  head,'  said  Bonaparte,  '  and  presented  it  to  poor 
Boissy  d'^Vnglas,  and  the  shock  of  this  fiend- like  act  was  almost  death  to  the 
president  in  his  chair.  Truly,'  added  he,  '  if  we  continue  thus  to  sully  our 
Revolution,  it  will  be  a  disgrace  to  be  a  Frenchman.'  "* 

Alarmed  by  the  advance  of  anarchy,  the  Convention  immediately  insti- 
tuted proceedings  against  several  prominent  Jacobin  members,  who  were 
known  to  be  ringleaders  of  the  insurrection.  They  were  arrested  and  con- 
signed to  imprisonment  in  the  Castle  of  Ham.  Paris  was  declared  to  be  in 
a  state  of  siege,  and  Pichegru,  then  in  the  full  lustre  of  his  glory,  was  ap- 
pointed commander  of  the  armed  force.  The  carriages  which  conveyed  tho 
arrested  deputies  to  the  Castle  of  Ham  had  to  pass  through  the  Elysian 
Fields.  The  Jacobins  assembled  in  strong  numbers  and  endeavored  to  res- 
cue them.  The  energy  of  Pichegru  repelled  the  attempt.  A  fight  ensued, 
with  cannon  and  small  arms,  in  which  several  lives  were  lost. 

While  these  melancholy  scenes  were  transpiring  in  Paris,  the  combined 
fleets  and  armies  of  England,  Austria,  and  Naples  were  fiercely  assailing 
the  Republic  at  every  vulnerable  point.  England,  being  undisputed  mis- 
tress of  the  sea,  had  nothing  to  fear  from  the  conflagration  which  she  was 
kindling  all  over  Europe.  To  stimulate  impoverished  Austria  to  the  war, 
the  British  government  loaned  her  $23,000,000  (£4,600,000).  She  aug- 
mented her  own  naval  force  to  a  hundred  thousand  seamen,  put  into  com- 
mission one  hundred  and  eight  ships  of  the  line,  and  raised  her  land  forces 
to  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  men.f 

The  question  to  be  decided  was,  whether  France  had  a  right  to  abolish 
monarchy  and  establish  a  republic.  It  is  in  vain  for  the  Allies  to  say  that 
they  were  contending  against  the  outrages  which  existed  in  France,  for 
their  hostile  movements  preceded  these  scenes  of  carnage,  and  were  the  effi- 
cient cause  of  nearly  all  the  calamities  that  ensued.  And,  deplorable  as  was 
the  condition  of  France  during  the  Reign  of  Terror,  even  that  reign  was  far 
more  endurable  by  the  masses  of  the  people  than  the  domination  of  the  old 
feudal  despotism. 

Carlyle  makes  the  following  appalling  statement,  the  truth  of  which  will 
not  be  denied  by  any  careful  student  of  the  Old  Regime : 

"  History,  looking  back  over  this  France  through  long  times — back  to 
Turgot's  time,  for  instance,  when  dumb  Drudgery  staggered  up  to  its  king's 
palace,  and,  in  wide  expanse  of  sallow  faces,  squalor,  and  winged  ragged- 
ness,  presented  hieroglyphically  its  petition  of  grievances,  and,  for  answer, 
got  hanged  on  a  new  gallows  forty  feet  high — confesses  mournfully  ^^that 
there  is  no  period  in  which  the  general  tweiiUj-five  millions  of  France  suffered 
less  than  in  this  period  which  they  named  the  Reign  of  Terror  ! 

"  But  it  was  not  the  dumb  millions  that  suffered  here ;  it  was  the  speak- 
ing thousands,  and  hundreds,  and  units,  who  shrieked  and  published,  and 
made  the  world  ring  with  \\\o\r  wail,  as  they  could  and  should;  that  is  the 
grand  peculiarity.     The  frightfulest  births  of  time  are  never  the  loud- 

*  Memoirs  of  the  Duchesse  d'Abrantes,  p.  90. 
■(•  Thiers,  vol.  iii.,  p.  242.     New  Annual  Register. 


^795.]  DISSOLUTION  OF  THE  CONVENTION.  403 

speaking  ones,  for  these  soon  die;  they  are  the  sHent  ones,  which  live  from 

century  to  century."*  „   ,       ,  r  .-u    mv 

The'^Koyalist  emigrants,  taking  advantage  of  the  clemency  of  the  Ther- 
midorians  began  now  to  return  to  France  in  great  numbers,  and  were  very 
active  every  where  in  trying  to  promote  a  counter-revolution,  and  m  forming 
conspiracies  to  overthrow  the  Republic  and  re-establish  the  Bourbons.  They 
were  sui^plied  with  immense  sums  of  money  to  expend  as  bribes. 

A  new  Constitution  was  formed  to  meet  the  new  emergencies  ot  the 
country  Instead  of  one  General  Assembly,  they  had  two  legislative  bodies 
The  Senate  called  the  Council  of  the  AncienU,  consisted  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  members,  of  at  least  forty  years  of  age,  and  all  were  to  be  either 
widowers  or  married;  one  third  to  be  renewed  every  year.  The  lower 
house  called  the  CoancU  of  the  Five  Hundred,  was  to  be  composed  ot  mem- 
bers of  at  least  thirty  years  of  age,  to  be  renewed  also  annually  by  one 
third  Instead  of  an  executive  of  sixteen  committees,  five  Directors  were 
intru'sted  with  the  executive  power,  to  be  renewed  annually  by  one  fifth. 
Thus  organized,  the  ship  of  state  was  again  launched  upon  its  stormy  voy- 
age, to  encounter  tempests  without  and  mutiny  within.  This  Constitution 
w°as  the  work  of  the  moderate  Republican  party,  and  restored  the  asccnd- 
encv  of  the  middle  class.  As  such  it  was  obnoxious  to  the  Jacobms.t 
France  was  now  so  rent  by  hostile  parties  that  no  Constitution  could  long 

^^^The  old  Constituent  Assembly  had,  by  a  decree  which  was  intended  to 
be  very  patriotic  and  self-denying,  excluded  itself  from  the  Legislative  As- 
sembly which  was  to  succeed  it.     This  act,  however,  proved  to  be  inju- 
dicious and  disastrous.     The  Legislative  Assembly,  wishing  to  secure  a  ma- 
ioritv  friendly  to  moderate  Republicanism  in  the  two  bodies  to  be  elected 
under  the  new  Constitution,  d'M^eed  that  two  thirds  of  their  own  members 
should  be  elected  to  the  two  new  legislative  bodies.     This  decree,  which  wa^ 
accepted  with  great  unanimity  by  France  as  a  whole,  was  exceedingly  ob- 
noxious to  the  Royalists  and  to  the  Jacobins  of  Pans,  both  of  whom  hoped 
to  obtain  a  majority  under  the  new  Constitution.    These  two  extremes  now 
joined  hands,  and,  as  usual,  appealed  for  support  to  msurrection  and  the 
terrors  of  the  mob.     There  was  no  excuse  for  this  violence,  for  the  Constitu- 
tion was  accepted  almost  unanimously  by  France,  and  the  decrees  by  an  im- 
mense majority.     It  was  in  Paris  alone  that  there  was  any  opposition  and 
even  there  the  opposition  was  only  to  the  decrees.     Still,  Roj-^ilists  and  Jaco- 
bins united  to  crush  the  will  of  the  nation  by  a  Parisian  mob. 

Paris  was  divided  in  forty-eight  electoral  sections  or  wards.  The  section 
of  Lepelletier  was  the  focus  of  the  gathering  storm.  The  tocsin  was  rung, 
drums  beat,  and  armed  bands  collected.  The  Convention  sent  General  Me- 
nou  a  kind-hearted  man,  to  surround  this  section  and  disarm  it.  Overawed 
by  the  hio-h  rank  of  the  leaders,  Menou  parleyed  with  them,  and,  at  length, 
alarmed  by  their  numbers,  their  strength,  and  their  determination,  by  a  sort 
of  capitulation  disgracefully  retreated. 

*  Carlvle's  History  of  the  French  Revolution,  vol.  ii.,  p.  460.  .^         ^ 

t  "This  Constitution  was  the  host,  the  wisest,  the  most  liberal,  and  the  most  provident  that 

had  as  yet  been  established  or  projected ;  it  contained  the  result  of  six  years'  revolutionary  and 

legislative  experience."— 3/t(7ncr,  p.  301. 


404  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXVIIL 

Napoleon  Bonaparte  was  then  in  Paris,  out  of  employment,  and  was  that 
evening  at  the  Theatre  Feydeau.  Some  friends  came  and  informed  him  of 
the  scenes  which  were  transpiring.  He  immediately  left  the  theatre  and 
hastened  to  the  gallery  of  the  Assembly,  to  witness  the  elSfect  which  would 
be  produced  upon  that  body  b}^  the  tidings  of  the  retreat  of  Menou.* 

He  found  the  Assembly  in  great  commotion.  Some  one  had  moved  the 
arrest  of  Menou,  and  his  trial  for  treason.  It  was  a  scene  of  tumult  and 
alarm,  many  speaking  at  once.  Barras,  who  had  acquired  some  reputation 
for  intrepiditv  and  energy,  was  appointed  as  chief  of  the  forces  in  the  place 
of  Menou.  Barras,  who  was  well  acquainted  with  the  energetic  character 
of  Napoleon,  and  who  probably  saw  him  in  the  gallery,  immediately  re- 
quested that  General  Bonaparte  should  be  appointed  as  his  second  in  com- 
mand. Barras  knew  his  man,  and  was  willing  to  surrender  to  the  young 
brigadier-general  the  entire  superintendence  of  the  military  arrangements  to 
quell  the  revolt. 

The  Convention  had  five  thousand  troops  at  its  command.  The  sections 
now,  with  clamor  and  tumult,  were  marching  upon  them  with  fortj'-five  thou- 
sand. Barras  was  a  man  of  commanding  stature  and  of  powerful  frame. 
Napoleon,  though  he  had  acquired  at  Toulon  a  high  reputation  in  the  army, 
was  but  little  Known  in  Paris.  When  Barras  introduced  to  the  Convention 
the  young  general,  a  small,  slender,  pale-faced,  smooth-cheeked  youth,  who 
seemed  to  be  not  more  than  eighteen  years  of  age,  all  were  surprised. 


NAPOLEON  BEFORE  THE  CONVENTION. 


"Are  you  willing,"  inquired  the  president,  "to  undertake  the  defense  of 
the  Convention  ?" 

"  Yes,"  was  the  laconic  reply. 

*  Las  Casas. 


1795.]  DISSOLUTION  OF  THE  CONVENTION.  405 

The  president  hesitated,  and  then  continued,  "  But  are  you  aware  of  the 
magnitude  of  the  undertaking  ?" 

Napoleon  fixed  that  eagle  eye  upon  him  which  few  could  meet  without 
quailing,  and  replied,  "  Perfectly ;  and  I  am  in  the  habit  of  accomplishing 
that  which  I  undertake.  But  one  condition  is  indispensable.  I  must  have 
the  unlimited  command,  entirely  untrammeled  by  any  orders  from  the  Con- 
vention." 

There  was  no  time  for  debate ;  and  even  the  most  stupid  could  see  that  in 
such  an  hour  the  public  safety  could  only  be  secured  by  the  prompt,  concen- 
trated action  of  a  single  mind,  sufficiently  powerful  to  meet  the  emergency. 
The  characteristic  traits  of  Napoleon's  character  were  perhaps  never  more 
conspicuously  displayed  than  on  this  occasion — his  self-reliance,  his  skill  in 
the  choice  of  agents,  his  careful  preparation  against  the  possibility  of  defeat, 
and  his  fortitude  in  doing  whatever  might  be  necessary  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  his  plans. 

Not  a  moment  was  lost.  At  Sablons,  a  few  miles  from  Paris,  there  was  a 
park  of  forty  pieces  of  artillery.  Napoleon  dispatched  a  young  soldier, 
whom  he  well  knew,  of  most  chivalrous  daring  and  impetuosity,  Joachim 
Murat,  to  secure  the  guns.  At  the  head  of  three  hundred  horse  he  was  al- 
most instantly  on  the  gallop,  and  arrived  at  Sablons  just  in  time  to  rescue 
the  artillery  from  a  smaller  band  of  the  insurrectionists,  who  had  also  been 
dispatched  to  secure  it.  The  guns  were  brought  to  the  Tuileries.  They 
were  promptly  ranged  to  sweep  all  the  avenues  leading  to  the  Tuileries. 
The  cavalry  and  a  part  of  the  infantry  were  placed  in  reserve  in  the  garden 
of  the  palace  and  in  the  Carrousel.  The  Convention  awoke  fully  to  a  sense 
of  its  danger  and  to  the  energy  of  its  commander  when  soldiers  brought 
eight  hundred  muskets  into  the  hall,  with  which  the  deputies  were  to  arm 
themselves  and  advance  to  battle  if  necessary.  Detachments  of  troops  were 
dispatched  to  seize  by  surprise  all  the  provisions  and  ammunition  in  Paris, 
and  convey  them  to  a  safe  depot  in  the  Tuileries.  A  hospital  for  the  wound- 
ed was  established  in  the  palace,  provided  with  necessaries  for  every  emerg- 
ency. The  troops  of  all  kinds  at  Napoleon's  disposal,  variously  estimated  at 
from  five  to  eight  thousand,  were  strongly  posted  in  the  leading  streets,  at 
the  bridges,  in  the  Place  Vendome,  and  in  the  Place  de  la  Eevolution.  A 
strong  detachment  was  sent  to  occupy  the  heights  of  Meudon,  Napoleon  in- 
tending to  retreat  there,  with  the  Convention,  in  case  of  defeat.  One  section 
in  Paris  had  voted  with  the  immense  majority  of  the  nation  for  the  decrees. 
Chests  of  arms  were  sent  to  that  section  to  arm  the  voters  in  defense  of  the 
laws.  A  detachment  was  sent  to  the  road  to  St.  Germain,  to  intercept  any 
cannon  from  being  brought  from  that  direction. 

All  this  was  accomplished  in  one  short  night,  the  4th  of  October,  Napo- 
leon seeming  to  infuse  his  own  energy  into  every  one  around  him.  In  the 
mean  time  the  sections,  though  by  no  means  aware  of  the  spirit  they  were 
doomed  to  encounter,  were  not  idle.  They  had  organized  a  kind  of  insur- 
rectionary government,  outlawed  the  committees  of  the  Convention,  and  had 
established  a  tribunal  to  punish  those  who  should  resist  its  sovereignty- 
Several  energetic  generals,  Jacobins,  and  also  Royalists,  creeping  from  their 
retreats,  ofifered  their  services  to  lead  the  attack  upon  the  Convention.    Gen- 


406  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXVIII. 

eral  Danican,  a  Royalist,  who  had  been  a  general  of  brigade  in  the  civil  war 
which  had  desolated  La  Vendee,  was  appointed  commander-in-chief  of  the 
forces  of  the  insurrection.  He  had  the  National  Guard,  forty  thousand  strong, 
well  armed,  officered,  and  disciplined,  under  his  command.  The  morning 
of  the  5th  dawned. 

The  alarm-bells  were  now  ringing  and  the  generale  beating.  The  armed 
hosts  of  the  sections  were  mustering  at  their  appointed  rendezvous  and  pre- 
paring to  march  upon  the  Convention.  The  members,  in  their  seats,  in  si- 
lence and  awe  awaited  the  assault,^  upon  the  issue  of  which  their  lives  were 
suspended.  Napoleon,  pale,  solemn,  and  perfectly  calm,  was  waiting,  re- 
solved that  the  responsibility  of  the  first  blow  should  fall  upon  his  assail- 
ants, and  that  he  would  take  the  responsibility  of  the  second. 

Soon  the  enemy  were  seen  advancing  from  every  direction,  in  masses 
which  filled  the  narrow  streets  of  the  city.  With  music  and  banners  they 
marched  to  attack  the  besieged  on  every  side,  confident,  from  their  numbers, 
of  an  easy  victory.  They  did  not  believe  that  the  few  and  feeble  troops  of 
the  Convention  would  dare  to  resist  the  populace  of  Paris,  but  cherished  the 
delusion  that  a  few  shots  from  their  own  side  would  put  all  opposition  to 
flight.  Thus  unhesitatingly  they  came  within  sweep  of  the  grapeshot  with 
which  Napoleon  had  charged  his  guns.  The  troops  of  the  Convention  stood 
firm.  The  insurgents  opened  a  volley  of  bullets  upon  them.  It  was  the 
signal  for  an  instantaneous  discharge,  direct,  sanguinary,  merciless,  from  ev- 
ery battery.  A  storm  of  grape  swept  the  streets.  The  columns  of  the  as- 
sailants wavered,  turned,  fled,  and  still  the  storm  pursued  them.  One  of  the 
strongest  battalions  of  the  insurgents  had  posted  itself  on  the  steps  of  the 
Church  of  Saint  Roche,  where  it  occupied  a  commanding  position  for  firing 
upon  the  gunners  of  the  Convention.  Napoleon  directed  his  artillery  to  ad- 
vance upon  them  by  the  cul  de  sac  Dauphin,  and  immediately  threw  into 
their  crowded  ranks  a  storm  of  grapeshot.  The  insurgents  fought  manfully 
for  a  time,  but  were  soon  compelled  to  retreat,  leaving  the  steps  of  the  church 
covered  with  the  slain.  As  they  fled.  Napoleon  pushed  his  artillery  up  the 
street,  and,  wheeling  to  the  right  and  the  left,  swept  the  whole  length  of  the 
Rue  St.  Honore.  In  two  hours  the  victory  was  achieved,  forty  thousand  men 
were  vanquished  by  five  thousand,  the  streets  were  cleared,  and  Napoleon 
returned  in  calm  triumph  to  the  Tuileries.* 

It  is  interesting  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  Napoleon  in  his  domestic  life  at  this 
time.  The  Duchess  of  Abrantes  writes,  "  My  parents  arrived  in  Paris  on 
the  4th  of  September.  Two  days  after  my  father  was  very  ill.  Bonaparte, 
apprised  by  my  brother,  came  immediately  to  see  us.  He  appeared  to  be 
affected  by  the  state  of  my  father,  who,  though  in  great  pain,  insisted  on 
seeing  him.  He  came  every  day,  and  in  the  morning  he  sent  or  called  him- 
self to  inquire  how  he  had  passed  the  night.  I  can  not  recollect  his  conduct 
at  that  period  without  sincere  gratitude. 

*  There  is  no  cxapRcration  in  the  following  account  of  the  condition  of  France  at  this  time : 
"Since  France  had  become  Republican  every  species  of  evil  had  accumulated  upon  its  devoted 
head.  Famine,  a  total  cessation  of  commerce,  civil  war,  attended  by  its  usual  accomjianiments — 
conflagration,  robbery,  pillage,  and  murder.  Justice  was  interrupted;  the  sword  of  the  law  wield- 
ed by  iniquity ;  projierty  spoliated  ;  confiscation  rendered  the  order  of  the  day ;  the  scaffold  per- 
manently erected  ;  calumnious  denunciations  held  in  the  highest  estimation.  Nothing  was  want- 
ing to  the  general  desolation." — Hist,  de  la  Conw.,  vol.  ii.,  p.  2J5,  216. 


1795.] 


DISSOLUTION  OF  THE  CONVENTION. 


407 


^  -  ~^'i:c£)^M?^^i)" 


THE   SECTIO.NS    AT    BAINT    BOUUE. 


"  He  inf(:»rmed  us  that  Paris  was  in  such  a  state  as  must  necessarily  lead 
to  a  convulsion.  The  sections  were  in,  if  not  open,  at  least  almost  avowed 
insurrection.  The  section  Lepelletier,  which  was  ours,  was  the  most  turbu- 
lent, and,  in  fact,  the  most  to  be  dreaded.  Its  orators  did  not  scruple  to  de- 
liver the  most  incendiary  speeches.  They  asserted  that  the  power  of  the 
assembled  people  was  above  the  laws,  '  Matters  are  getting  from  bad  to 
worse,'  said  Bonaparte  ;  '  the  counter-revolution  will  shortly  break  forth,  and 
it  will,  at  the  same  time,  become  the  source  of  disasters.' 


408  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXVIII. 

"  As  I  liave  said,  lie  came  every  day ;  he  dined  with  us  and  passed  the 
evening  in  the  drawing-room,  talking  in  a  low  tone  beside  the  easy-chair  of 
my  mother,  who,  worn  out  with  fatigue,  dozed  for  a  few  moments  to  recruit 
her  strength,  for  she  never  quitted  my  father's  pillow.  I  recollect  that,  one 
evening,  my  father  being  very  ill,  my  mother  was  weeping  and  in  great 
tribulation.  It  was  ten  o'clock.  At  that  time  it  was  impossible  to  induce 
any  of  the  servants  of  the  hotel  to  go  out  after  nine.  Bonaparte  said  noth- 
ing. He  ran  down  stairs  and  posted  away  to  Duchannais,  whom  he  brought 
back  with  him  in  spite  of  his  objections.  The  weather  was  dreadful ;  the 
rain  poured  in  torrents.  Bonaparte  had  not  been  able  to  meet  with  a  hack- 
ney coach  to  go  to  M.  Duchannais ;  he  was  wet  through.  Yes,  indeed,  at 
that  period  Bonaparte  had  a  heart  susceptible  of  attachment. 

"  Meanwhile  we  became  more  and  more  alarmed  every  day  by  the  dan- 
gers which  manifested  themselves  around  us.  Paris  rung  with  the  tumult 
of  the  factions,  each  of  which  drew  the  sword  and  hoisted  its  standard. 
Against  the  Convention,  then  the  only  real  authority,  were  arrayed  the  sec- 
tions, which  for  some  days  past  again  declared  war  against  it.  Paris  resem- 
bled a  garrison  town.  At  night  we  heard  the  sentries  calling  to  and  an- 
swering one  another,  as  in  a  besieged  town.  The  strictest  search  was  made 
for  arms  and  ammunition. 

"  For  some  years  my  mother  had  been  subject  to  nervous  paroxysms.  At 
such  times  she  disliked  to  have  any  body  about  her.  On  reaching  the  draw- 
ing-room I  found  her  all  in  tears  and  in  one  of  the  most  violent  spasms. 
General  Bonaparte  was  with  her,  endeavoring  to  soothe  her.  He  told  me 
that  on  his  arrival  he  found  her  on  the  point  of  attacking  the  adjunct  of  the 
section  to  prevent  his  entering  my  father's  chamber.  '  I  should  be  glad  to 
spare  your  mother  such  scenes,'  said  he ;  '  I  have  not  much  influence,  never- 
theless I  will  go  myself  to  the  section.  I  wiU  see  the  president  if  possible 
and  settle  the  business  at  once.  Paris  is  all  on  fire,  especially  since  this 
morning.  It  is  necessary  to  be  very  cautious  in  every  thing  one  does  and 
in  all  one  says.  Your  brother  must  not  go  out  any  more.  Attend  to  all 
this,  for  your  mother  is  in  a  sad  state.' 

"  This  was  a  dreadful  night  for  my  father.  The  next  morning  the  gene- 
rale  was  beat.  The  streets  were  already  very  unsafe,  though  people  were 
still  passing  to  and  fro  in  Paris,  as  though  they  were  not  going  to  cut  one 
another's  throats  a  few  hours  afterward.  The  tumult  became  very  great  at 
dusk ;  the  theatres  were  nevertheless  open.  Indeed,  we  are  a  nation  of  lu- 
natics ! 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  12th  Vendemiaire  (October  4)  Bonaparte,  who 
had  called  according  to  custom,  appeared  to  be  lost  in  thought.  He  went 
out,  came  back,  went  out  again,  and  again  returned  when  we  were  at  our 
dessert.  '  I  breakfasted  very  late,' said  he,  '  at  Bourrienne's.  They  talked 
politics  there  till  I  was  quite  tired  of  the  subject.  I  will  try  to  learn  the 
news,  and  if  I  have  any  thing  interesting  I  will  come  and  tell  you.' 

"  We  did  not  see  him  again.  The  night  was  tumultuous,  especially  in 
our  section.  The  whole  Eue  de  la  Loi  was  bristling  with  bayonets.  Barri- 
cades were  already  set  up  in  our  streets.  On  the  morning  of  the  13th  (Oc- 
tober 5)  my  father  was  very  ill.     For  some  hours  we  flattered  ourselves  that 


1795.1  DISSOLUTION  OF  THE  CONVENTION.  409 

matters  would  be  adjusted  between  the  Convention  and  the  rebels ;  but 
about  half  past  four  the  firing  of  the  cannon  began.  The  effect  on  my  poor 
father  was  terrible.  He  gave  a  piercing  shriek,  calhng  for  assistance,  and 
was  seized  with  the  most  violent  delirium.  All  the  scenes  of  the  Revolution 
passed  in  review  before  him,  and  every  discharge  that  he  heard  was  a  blow 
struck  at  hun  personally.  What  a  day  !  what  an  evening!  what  a  night ! 
Every  pane  of  glass  was  broken  in  pieces.  Toward  evening  the  section 
fell  back  upon  us.  The  fighting  was  continued  almost  under  our  window, 
but  when  it  had  come  to  St.  Roche  we  imagined  that  the  house  was  tumbling 
about  our  ears. 

"  My  father  was  in  the  agonies  of  death ;  he  shouted,  he  wept.  Never, 
no,  never,  shall  I  suffer  what  I  did  during  that  terrible  night.  Next  day 
tranquillity  was  restored,  we  were  told,  in  Paris.  I  can  scarcely  give  any 
account  of  the  14th.  Toward  evening  Bonaparte  came  for  a  moment ;  he 
found  me  dissolved  in  tears.  When  he  learned  the  cause  his  cheerful  and 
open  countenance  suddenly  changed.  My  mother  entered  at  that  moment. 
She  knew  no  more  than  I  how  important  a  part  Bonaparte  had  played  on 
that  great  day.  '  Oh !'  said  my  mother,  '  they  have  killed  my  husband. 
You,  Napoleon,  can  feel  for  my  distress.  Do  you  recollect  that  on  the  first 
Prairial,  when  you  came  to  sup  with  me,  you  told  me  that  you  had  just  pre- 
vented Barras  from  bombarding  Paris  ?  Do  you  recollect  it  ?  For  my  part 
[  have  not  forgotten  it.' 

"  Many  persons  have  alleged  that  Napoleon  always  regretted  that  day. 
Be  that  as  it  may,  he  was  always  exceedingly  kind  to  my  mother  in  these 
moments  of  affliction,  though  himself  in  circumstances  that  could  not  but 
outweigh  all  other  interests.     He  was  Hke  a  son — like  a  brother."* 

The  Convention  treated  the  insurrectionists,  who  had  thus  been  so  severe- 
ly punished,  with  the  utmost  clemency.f  Napoleon  received  the  thanks 
of  the  Convention  and  a  brilliant  reception.  The  Convention  united  Bel- 
gium with  France;  decreed  that  the  punishment  of  death  should  be  abolish- 
ed as  soon  as  a  general  peace  with  Europe  could  be  effected ;  changed  the 
name  of  the  Place  of  the  Revolution  to  the  Place  of  Concord;  pronounced 
an  amnesty  for  all  acts  connected  with  the  Revolution,  excepting  one  person 
implicated  in  the  last  revolt;  and  then,  on  the  26th  of  October,  1795,  the 
President  of  the  Convention  pronounced  these  words, 

"  The  National  Convention  declares  that  its  mission  is  accomplished,  and 
its  session  is  closed." 

With  one  united  shout— T'Ae  Bepuhlic  forever  f— the  deputies  left  the  hall 
and  dispersed  to  their  homes. 

To  the  States-General  fell  the  task,  after  a  terrific  struggle  with  king  and 
nobles,  to  create  the  Constituent  Assembly,  a  great  national  congress,  whose 
function  it  was  to  moderate  the  despotism  of  the  throne  by  conferring  upon 

*  Memoirs  of  the  Duchesse  d'Abrantes,  p.  118. 

f  "  After  this  memorable  conflict,  when  Bonaparte  had  been  publicly  received  with  enthusiasm 
by  the  Convention,  Avho  declared  that  he  and  Barras  deserved  well  of  their  country,  a  great 
change  took  i>lace  in  him,  and  the  change  in  regard  to  attention  to  his  person  was  not  the  least 
remarkable.  He  now  never  went  out  but  in  a  handsome  carriage,  and  he  lived  in  a  very  respect- 
able house,  Kue  des  Capucines.  In  short,  he  had  become  an  important,  a  necessary  personage, 
and  all  without  noise,  as  if  by  magic." — Duchess  o/Abrantes. 
Vol.  IT.  -I 


410  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXVIII, 

a  nation  of  twenty -five  millions  of  people,  after  ages  of  oppression,  constitU' 
tional  liberty.  The.  Constituent  Assembly,  which  succeeded  the  States- 
Greneral,  abolished  those  old  institutions  of  feudal  servitude  which  had  be^ 
come  utterly  unendurable,  and  established  a  constitutional  monarchy,  taking 
as  a  model,  in  the  main,  the  British  Constitution.  The  Legislative  Assem- 
bly then  took  the  place  of  the  Constituent,  to  enact  laws  in  harmony  with 
this  Constitution.  It  soon,  however,  found  that  the  king  was  in  league  with 
despotic  Europe  to  overthrow  constitutional  liberty  and  restore  the  old  des- 
potism. It  consequently  suspended  the  king,  and  the  Constitution  with 
which  his  power  was  inseparably  interwoven,  and  dissolved  itself.*  The 
National  Convention,  which  succeeded,  commenced  its  deliberations  on  the 
21st  of  September,  1792. 

"The  Convention,"  says  Thiers,  "found  a  dethroned  king,  an  annulled 
Constitution,  an  administration  entirely  destroyed,  a  paper  money  discredit- 
ed, old  skeletons  of  regiments  worn  out  and  empty.  Thus  it  was  not  lib- 
erty that  it  had  to  proclaim  in  presence  of  an  enfeebled  and  despised  throne, 
it  was  liberty  that  it  had  to  defend  against  all  Europe — a  very  difl&cult  task. 
Without  being  for  a  moment  daunted,  it  proclaimed  the  Eepublic  in  the 
face  of  the  hostile  armies ;  it  then  sacrificed  the  king,  to  cut  ofi"  all  retreat 
from  itself;  it  subsequently  took  all  the  powers  into  its  own  hands,  and 
constituted  itself  a  dictatorship.  Voices  were  raised  in  its  bosom  which 
talked  of  humanity^  when  it  wished  to  hear  of  nothing  but  energy  ;  it  stifled 
them.  This  dictatorship,  which  the  necessity  of  the  general  preservation 
had  obliged  it  to  arrogate  to  itself  over  all  France,  twelve  of  its  members 
soon  arrogated  to  themselves  over  it,  for  the  same  reason,  and  on  account 
of  the  same  necessity.  From  the  Alps  to  the  sea,  from  the  Pyrenees  to  the 
Rhine,  these  twelve  dictators  seized  upon  all,  both  men  and  things,  and 
commenced  the  greatest  and  the  most  awful  struggle  with  the  nations  of 
Europe  ever  recorded  in  history.  They  spilt  torrents  of  blood,  till,  having 
become  useless  from  victory,  and  odious  by  the  abuse  of  strength,  they  fell. 

"  The  Convention  then  took  the  dictatorship  again  into  its  own  hands, 
and  began,  by  degrees,  to  relax  the  springs  of  that  terrible  administration. 
Rendered  confident  by  victory,  it  listened  to  humanity,  and  indulged  its 
spirit  of  regeneration.  It  aimed  at  every  thing  good  and  great,  and  pur- 
sued this  purpose  for  a  year;  but  the  parties  crushed  under  its  pitiless 
authority  revived  under  its  clemency.  Two  factions,  in  which  were  blend- 
ed, under  infinite  variety  of  shades,  the  friends  and  the  foes  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, attacked  it  by  turns.  It  vanquished  the  one  and  the  other,  and,  till 
the  last  day,  showed  itself  heroic  amid  dangers.  Lastly,  it  framed  a  Re- 
publican Constitution,  and,  after  a  struggle  of  three  years  with  Europe,  with 
the  factions,  with  itself,  mutilated  and  bleeding,  it  dissolved  itself,  and  trans- 
mitted the  government  of  France  to  the  Directory."f 

*  The  States-General  held  its  session  from  May  6,  1789. 
t  Thiers,  Fr.  Eev.,  vol.  iii.,  p.  333. 


1795.]  THE  DIRECTORY.  411 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

THE   DIRECTORY. 

Constitution  of  the  Directory. — Distracted  State  of  Public  AflFairs. — New  Expedition  to  LaVen- 
de'e. — Death  of  the  Daujihin. — Release  of  the  Princess. — Pacification  of  La  Vcnde'e. — Riots 
in  London. — Execution  of  Charette. — Napoleon  takes  command  of  the  Army  of  Italy. — The 
first  Proclamation. — Triumphs  in  Italy. — Letter  of  General  Hoclie. — Peace  with  Spain. — Es- 
tablishment of  the  Cispadane  Republic. — Negotiations  with  Entriand. — Contemplated  Invasion 
of  Ireland. — Memorials  of  Wolfe  Tone. — Deplorable  State  of  Public  Affairs. — Description  of 
Napoleon. — Composition  of  the  Directory. 

The  government  of  tlie  Directory  went  into  operation  on  the  27th  of  Oc- 
tober, 1795.  The  two  legislative  bodies,  the  Council  of  the  Ancients  and 
the  Council  of  the  Five  Hundred,  met  and  chose  for  the  five  directors  Lare- 
veill^re  Lepeaux,  Lc  Tourneur,  Eewbel,  Carnot,  and  Barras.  "Among 
these,"  says  Thiers,  "there  was  not  a  man  of  genius,  nor  even  any  man  of 
high  reputation,  excepting  Carnot.  But  what  was  to  be  done  at  the  end  of 
a  sanguinary  revolution  which,  in  a  few  years,  had  devoured  several  genera- 
tions of  men  of  genius  of  every  description  ?  In  the  Assemblies  there  was 
not  left  one  extraordinary  orator ;  in  diplomacy  there  remained  not  one  cele- 
brated negotiator."*  The  state  of  public  affairs  at  this  time  was  deplorable 
in  the  extreme.  Innumerable  factions  disturbed  the  state.  A  very  sanguin- 
ary war  was  raging  around  the  frontiers.  The  embers  of  civil  war  were  still 
smoldering  and  frequently  bursting  out  into  flame.  Three  powerful  parties 
were  struggling  almost  with  the  energies  of  despair  for  the  supremacy — the 
old  Royalists,  the  Thermidorians  or  moderate  Rei)ublicans,  and  the  Jaco- 
bins, who  wielded,  as  the  great  instrument  of  terror,  the  energies  of  the  Pa- 
risian mob.  Many  of  the  most  intelligent  men  already  foresaw  that  there 
was  no  hope  for  distracted  France  but  in  the  action  of  some  mighty  mind 
which  could  mould  the  tumultuous  elements  and  evolve  order  from  the  con- 
fusion.f 

The  British  government,  undismayed  by  the  disaster  of  Quiberon,  now 
sent  another  expedition  to  the  shores  of  La  Vendee  to  rouse  the  Royalists 
to  insurrection.  The  expedition  consisted  of  two  thousand  English  in- 
fantry, five  hundred  horse,  several  regiments  of  French  emigrants,  a  great 
number  of  officers  to  take  command  of  the  marshaled  peasantry,  and  arms, 
ammunition,  provisions,  clothing,  and  gold  in  abundance.  Should  this  ex- 
pedition successfully  land  and  rally  around  it  the  Royalist  insurgents  in 
promising  numbers,  it  was  immediately  to  be  followed  by  another  still  more 

*  Thiers,  History  of  the  French  Revolution,  vol.  iii.,  p.  338. 

+  "France,  exhausted  by  ever)'  species  of  suff"erinp,  had  lost  even  the  power  of  uttering  a  com- 
I)laint ;  and  we  had  all  arrived  at  such  a  point  of  dejiression  that  death,  if  unattended  by  pain, 
would  have  been  wished  for  even  by  the  youngest  human  being,  because  it  offered  the  prospect  of 
repose,  and  every  one  panted  for  that  blessing  at  any  price.  But  it  was  ordained  that  many  days, 
months,  and  years  should  still  continue  in  that  state  of  horrible  agitation,  the  true  foretaste  of  the 
torments  of  hell." — Memoirs  of  the  Duchess  ofAbrantes,  p.  296. 


412  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXIX. 

powerful.  The  Count  d'Artois  (Charles  X.)  was  placed  in  command  of  this 
force.  Charette,  a  very  intrepid  Kojalist  chieftain,  had  raised  some  ten 
thousand  peasants,  and  was  in  command  of  the  coast  to  welcome  the  invad- 
ers. But  General  Hoche  fell  upon  the  insurgent  Vendeeans  and  scattered 
them;  and  the  English  fleet,  after  hovering  for  some  time  along  the  coast, 
being  unable  to  effect  a  landing,  and  disappointed  in  the  support  they  hoped 
to  have  met,  abandoned  the  enterprise  and  returned  to  England.* 

While  the  coast  of  France  was  thus  threatened  the  Allies  on  the  Ehine 
gained  some  very  decisive  victories,  and  drove  the  routed  Eepublicans  be- 
fore them.  There  was  no  money  in  the  treasury  of  the  Directory.  The 
paper  money,  which  had  been  freely  issued,  had  become  almost  worthless, 
and  the  armies  were  now  in  destitution  and  rags.  Such  were  the  difficulties 
with  which  the  new  government  had  to  grapple.f 

On  the  8th  of  June  the  dauphin  died  in  the  Temple.  While  he  lived  he 
was  considered  by  the  Eoyalists  the  legitimate  King  of  France,  under  the 
title  of  Louis  XVII.  Upon  his  death  the  emigrants  declared  the  Count  of 
Provence  king,  and  he  assumed  the  title  of  Louis  XVIII.  It  will  be  re- 
membered that  the  Convention  sent  some  deputies  to  arrest  Dumouriez,  and 
that  he  seized  these  commissioners  and  handed  them  over  to  the  Austrians 
as  hostages.  The  Directory  now  exchanged  the  young  princess,  who  still 
survived  in  woeful  captivity,  for  these  commissioners  and  a  few  other  distin- 
guished prisoners  held  by  the  Austrians.  It  was  the  19th  of  December 
when  this  unhappy  child  left  her  cell,  where  she  had  endured  agonies  such 
as  few  on  earth  had  known,  to  be  conveyed  back  to  the  palaces  of  her  ma- 
ternal ancestors. 

The  guns  of  Napoleon,  quelling  the  insurgent  sections,  had  established 
the  government  of  the  Directory.  To  secure  Paris  and  France  from  similar 
scenes  of  violence,  an  imposing  force  was  organized,  called  the  Army  of  the 
Interior,  and  Napoleon  was  placed  in  command.  As  by  magic,  under  his 
efficient  command,  this  body  was  organized  into  the  highest  discipline  and 
efficiency,  and,  overawing  the  discontented,  maintained  public  order,  A 
formidable  camp  of  these  troops  was  established  at  Grrenelle.     But  for  Na- 

*  A  Republican  does  not  view  this  endeavor  on  the  part  of  the  British  government  to  foment 
civil  war  in  France  as  sl Royalist  views  it.  "It  is paiu/hl,^'  says  Mr.  Ahson,  "to  reflect  how  dif- 
ferent might  have  been  the  issue  of  the  campaign  had  Great  Britain  really  put  forth  its  strength 
in  the  contest,  and,  instead  of  landing  a  few  thousand  men  on  a  coast  bristling  with  bayonets, 
sent  thirty  thousand  men  to  make  head  against  the  Republicans  till  the  Royalist  forces  were  so 
organized  as  to  be  able  to  take  the  field  with  regular  troops."  It  was  this  persistent  determina- 
tion, on  the  part  of  the  British  government  and  allied  Europe,  that  France  should  not  enjoy  free 
institutions,  which  led  to  nearly  all  the  sanguinary  scenes  of  the  French  Revolution,  and  which, 
for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century,  made  Europe  red  with  blood. 

f  "All  these  forces  [of  the  RepuV)lic]  were  in  a  state  of  extreme  penury,  and  totally  destitute 
of  the  equipments  necessary  for  the  cnrrying  on  of  a  campaign.  They  had  neither  caissons,  nor 
horses,  nor  magazines.  The  soldiers  were  almost  naked  and  the  generals,  even,  frequently  in  want 
of  the  necessaries  of  life.  Multitudes  had  taken  advantage  of  the  relaxation  of  authority  follow- 
ing the  fall  of  Robespierre  to  desert  and  return  to  their  homes,  and  the  government,  so  far  from 
being  able  to  bring  them  back  to  their  colors,  were  not  even  able  to  levy  conscripts  in  the  interior 
to  supf)ly  their  place." — Alison,  vol.  i.,  p.  369. 

Paper  money  had  been  issued  to  the  almost  incredible  amount  of  2,000,000,000  dollars,  or 
10,000,000,000  francs.  This  paper  money  had  so  depreciated  that  a  pound  of  sugar  cost  eighty 
dollars  in  paper  money. 


1796.]  THE  DIRECTORY.  413 

poleon  the  Directory  could  not  have  come  into  being.  But  for  Napoleon  it 
could  not  have  lived  a  year,  struggling  against  the  conspiracies  which  ever 
crowded  it.*  General  lloche,  operating  with  singular  wisdom  and  human- 
ity, succeeded  in  the  pacification  of  the  inhabitants  of  La  Vendue.  They 
surrendered  their  arms,  and  peace  was  restored  to  that  distracted  region. 
Still  William  Pitt  clamored  for  war  against  the  French  Kepublic.  The  En- 
glish people  were  indignant  at  these  unjust  assaults  against  a  neighboring 
nation  struggling  to  throw  off  the  chains  of  intolerable  servitude,  and  de- 
manded peace  with  France.  The  liberty-loving  Englishmen  met  in  immense 
gatherings  in  the  open  air,  and  denounced  the  war  system  in  the  most  bold 
and  decisive  resolves.  As  the  king  rode  to  Parliament  the  populace  pur- 
sued him,  pelted  his  carriage  with  stones,  broke  the  windows,  and  it  was  as- 
serted that  an  air-gun  was  fired  at  him.  Pitt,  riding  on  horseback,  was  rec- 
ognized by  the  populace,  and  with  difficulty  escaped  from  their  hands  cov- 
ered with  mud.  Fox  and  Sheridan  in  Parliament  were  loud  and  eloquent 
in  the  denunciation  of  the  war  measures  of  the  ministry.f  Pitt  endeavored 
to  defend  himself  against  the  assaults  of  the  opposition  by  saying  that  En- 
glish blood  had  not  been  shed.  "  True,"  replied  Sheridan,  "  English  blood 
has  not  been  shed,  but  English  honor  has  oozed  from  every  pore." 

The  Allies,  exhilarated  by  their  successes  on  the  Rhine,  prepared  to  press 
the  war  with  new  visror.  Pitt  obtained  from  Parliament  a  new  loan  of 
thirty-five  millions  of  dollars.  General  Bonaparte  was  promoted  from  the 
command  of  the  Army  of  the  Interior  to  that  of  the  Army  of  Italy.  He  im- 
mediately entered  upon  that  Italian  campaign  which  gave  him  renown 
throughout  the  world. 

Though  the  Vendeeans  had  surrendered  their  arms  and  were  rejoicing  in 
the  enjoyment  of  peace,  Charette  wandered  about  the  country,  refusing  all 
overtures  at  reconciliation,  and  striving,  with  great  energy,  to  rouse  new 
forces  of  insurrection.  The  entire  pacification  of  La  Vendee  now  depended 
upon  the  capture  of  Charette.  "With  almost  unparalleled  energy  and  brav- 
ery he  succeeded  for  several  months  in  eluding  his  foes.  At  last,  on  the 
24th  of  March,  1796,  he  fell  into  an  ambuscade.  He  was  armed  to  the  teeth, 
and  fought  with  the  ferocity  of  a  tiger  at  bay.  He  received  several  sabre- 
blows  before  he  fell  and  was  secured.  At  his  examination  he  with  dignity 
averred  his  detestation  of  n^publicanism  and  his  devotion  to  royalty.  He 
had  deluged  the  land  with  the  blood  of  civil  war,  and,  as  a  traitor,  was 
doomed  to  die.  On  the  30th  of  March  he  was  led  out  to  execution.  A 
platoon  of  soldiers  was  drawn  up  but  a  few  paces  before  him.  He  stood 
erect,  with  his  eyes  unbandaged,  and,  apparently  without  the  tremor  of  a 
nerve,  gave  the  command  to  fire.  He  fell  dead,  pierced  by  many  bullets. 
He  had  displayed  marvelous  heroism  in  a  bad  cause.  Refusing  to  submit 
to  laws  established  by  the  overwhelming  majority  of  his  countrymen,  he 
was  deluging  the  land  in  blood  in  the  endeavor  to  rivet  again  upon  France 
the  chains  of  the  most  intolerable  despotism.  The  Rovalists  all  over  Eu- 
rope mourned  his  death.  But  France  rejoiced,  for  the  fall  of  Charette  ter- 
minated the  civil  war. 

One  hundred  thousand  men  had  been  under  the  command  of  General 

*  Thiers,  Hist.  French  Rev.,  vol.  iii.,  p.  353.  t  Ibid.,  vol.  iii.,  p.  364. 


414 


THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION. 


[Chap.  XXXIJ. 


l.A    OlIARETTE  TAKEN    PEI80NKR. 


Hoclie  in  the  strife  of  La  Vendee.  These  were  now  at  liberty  to  march  to 
repel  the  foreign  invader.  Two  powerful  armies,  of  eighty  thousand  each, 
were  collected  on  the  Ehine.  But  they  could  not  hold  their  ground  against 
the  outnumbering  Austrians.  In  one  of  these  engagements  the  distinguished 
young  general  Marceau  was  killed.  He  was  struck  by  a  ball  fired  by  a 
Tyrolean  marksman,  and  fell  from  his  horse  mortally  wounded.  His  sol- 
diers, on  the  rapid  retreat,  were  unable  to  rescue  him,  and  he  was  left  in  his 
blood  to  the  humanity  of  the  victors.  The  Austrians  generously  did  every 
thing  in  their  power  for  his  relief,  but  he  died,  three  days  after,  in  the 
twenty-seventh  year  of  his  age. 

About  thirty  thousand  French  soldiers,  in  rags,  destitute  of  the  munitions 
of  war,  and  almost  famished,  were  ineffectually  struggling  against  their  foes 
on  the  southern  slopes  of  the  Apennines.  Napoleon  was  placed  in  com- 
mand of  these  starving  troops,  but  the  government  was  unable  to  supply 
him  with  any  funds  for  the  prosecution  of  the  war.  On  the  27th  of  March 
he  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  these  enfeebled  and  discouraged  battalions. 
Young  generals,  who  subsequently  obtained  great  renown — Angereau,  Mas- 
sena,  Laharpe,  Serrurier,  and  Berthier — composed  the  officers  of  liis  staff.  The 
levy  en  masse  had  filled  the  ranks  with  J^oung  men  from  good  families,  well 
informed,  distinctly  understanding  the  nature  of  the  conflict,  detesting  the  old 
feudal  despotism  which  allied  Europe  was  striving  to  impose  upon  them 
anew,  and  enthusiastically  devoted  to  the  princi})les  of  liberty  and  equal 
rights  which  the  Revolution  was  endeavoring  to  implant.  Though  most  of 
them  were  young,  they  had  many  of  tlicin  spent  years  in  the  field,  had  seen 
many  bloody  battles,  and,  inured  to  the  hardships  of  war,  w(ire  veteran 
soldiers.    Sixty  thousand  Piedmontese  and  Austrians,  under  Colli  and  Beau- 


1796.] 


THE  DIRECTORY. 


415 


E%» 


DEATU   OF   Gt.NiitAI,   MaUOEAU. 


liea,  crowded  tlie  northern  slopes  and  the  crest  of  the  mountains,  endeavoring 
to  force  their  way  through  the  defiles  upon  France.  Napoleon's  first  words 
to  his  troops  roused  them  as  with  electric  fire. 

"Soldiers,"  said  he,  "you  are  ill  fed,  almost  naked.  The  government 
owes  you  much,  but  can  do  nothing  for  you.  Your  patience,  your  courage, 
do  you  honor,  but  procure  you  neither  glory  nor  advantage.  I  am  about 
to  lead  you  into  the  most  fertile  plains  in  the  world.  You  will  there  find 
large  cities,  rich  provinces;  you  will  there  find  honor,  glory,  and  wealth. 
Soldiers  of  Ital}^,  will  your  courage  fail  you  ?" 

On  the  12th  of  April  bis  troops  were  in  motion.  A  series  of  desperate 
battles  and  of  resplendent  victories  ensued.  At  the  close  of  two  weeks 
Napoleon  issued  the  following  proclamation : 

"  Soldiers,  in  a  fortnight  you  have  gained  six  victories,  taken  twenty -one 
pairs  of  colors,  fifty -five  pieces  of  cannon,  several  fortresses,  and  conquered 
the  richest  part  of  Piedmont.  You  have  made  fifteen  thousand  prisoners, 
and  killed  or  wounded  more  than  ten  thousand  men.  You  had  hitherto 
been  fighting  for  barren  rocks,  rendered  glorious  by  your  courage,  but  use- 
less to  the  country.  You  now  rival,  by  your  services,  the  army  of  Holland 
and  the  Rhine.  Destitute  of  every  thing,  you  have  supplied  all  your  wants. 
You  have  gained  battles  without  cannon,  crossed  rivers  without  bridges, 
made  forced  marches  without  shoes,  bivouacked  without  brandy  and  often 
without  bread.  The  Republican  phalanxes,  the  soldiers  of  liberty  alone, 
could  have  endured  what  you  have  endured.  Thanks  be  to  you  for  it,  sol- 
diers. Your  grateful  country  will  owe  to  you  its  prosperity ;  and  if  your 
conquest  at  Toulon  foreboded  the  glorious  campaign  of  1793,  your  present 


416         •  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChaP.  XXXIX. 

victories  forbode  one  still  more  glorious.  The  two  armies  which  so  lately 
attacked  you  boldly,  are  fleeing  affrighted  before  you.  The  perverse  men 
who  laughed  at  your  distress,  and  rejoiced  in  thought  at  the  triumph  of 
your  enemies,  are  confounded  and  trembling. 

"But,  soldiers,  you  have  done  nothing,  since  more  remains  to  be  done. 
Neither  Turin  nor  Milan  is  yours.  The  ashes  of  the  conquerors  of  Tarquin 
are  still  trampled  upon  by  the  murderers  of  Basseville."* 

Napoleon  now  summoned  all  his  energies  to  drive  the  Austrians  out  of 
Italy.  In  two  months  the  work  was  done ;  and  Paris,  France,  Europe  was 
electrified  by  the  narrative  of  deeds  of  daring  and  success,  such  as  war  had 
never  recorded  before.  In  all  the  towns  and  cities  of  Italy  the  French 
armies  were  received  as  deliverers,  for  the  subjugated  Italians  were  eager  to 
throw  off  the  hateful  yoke  of  Austrian  despotism.  Napoleon,  having  un- 
bounded confidence  in  himself,  and  but  very  little  respect  for  the  weak  men 
who  composed  the  Directory,  took  all  matters  of  diplomacy,  as  well  as  war, 
into  his  own  hands,  and,  sustained  by  the  enthusiasm  of  his  soldiers,  settled 
the  affairs  of  Italy  according  to  his  own  views  of  expediency. 

The  Royalists,  hoping  for  the  overthrow  of  the  Eepublic  and  for  the  re- 
turn of  Louis  XVIII.,  were  exceedingly  chagrined  by  these  victories.  They 
left  no  means  of  calumny  untried  to  sully  the  name  of  Napoleon.  Europe 
was  filled  with  falsehoods  respecting  him,  and  reports  were  circulated  that 
General  Hoche  was  to  be  sent  from  Paris  to  arrest  him  in  the  midst  of  his 
army.  These  rumors  assumed  such  importance  that  the  government  wrote 
a  letter  to  Napoleon  contradicting  them ;  and  General  Hoche,  with  the 
magnanimity  of  a  man  incapable  of  jealousy,  over  his  own  name  published 
a  letter  expressing  his  admiration  of  the  commander  of  the  Army  of  Italy. 

"  Men,"  he  wrote,  "  who,  concealed  or  unknown  during  the  first  years  of 
the  foundation  of  the  Republic,  now  think  only  of  seeking  the  means  of  de- 
stroying it,  and  speak  of  it  merely  to  slander  its  firmest  supporters,  have,  for 
some  days  past,  been  spreading  reports  most  injurious  to  the  armies,  and  to 
one  of  the  general  ofl&cers  who  commanded  them.  Can  they,  then,  no  longer 
attain  their  object  by  corresponding  openly  with  the  horde  of  conspirators 
resident  at  Hamburg?  Must  they,  in  order  to  gain  the  patronage  of  the 
masters  whom  they  are  desirous  of  giving  to  France,  vilify  the  leaders  of  the 
armies  ?  Why  is  Bonaparte,  then,  the  object  of  the  wrath  of  these  gentry  ? 
Is  it  because  he  beat  themselves  and  their  friends  in  Yend^miaire  ?f  Is  it 
because  he  is  dissolving  the  armies  of  kings,  and  furnishing  the  Republic 
with  the  means  of  bringing  this  honorable  war  to  a  glorious  conclusion  ? 
Ah !  brave  young  man,  where  is  the  Republican  soldier  whose  heart  does 
not  burn  with  the  desire  to  imitate  thee  ?  Courage,  Bonaparte !  lead  our  vic- 
torious armies  to  Naples,  to  Vienna ;  reply  to  thy  personal  enemies  by  hum- 
bling kings,  by  shedding  fresh  lustre  over  our  armies,  and  leave  to  us  the 
task  of  upholding  thy  glory." 

Still  the  Royalists  were  busy  with  incessant  plots  and  intrigues  for  the 
overthrow  of  the  government.  The  treasury  was  utterly  bankrupt,  paper 
money,  almost  utterly  worthless,  flooded  the  land,  and  the  finances  were  in  a 

*  M.  Basseville,  an  envoy  of  the  French  Republic  at  Rome,  was  attacked  by  a  mob  and  cruelly 
murdered.  t  Quelling  the  insurgent  sections. 


1796.] 


THE  DIRECTORY. 


417 


state  of  inextricable  embarrassment.  The  Jacobins  and  the  Eoyalists  were 
equally  eager  to  demolish  the  Directory  by  any  conceivable  measures  of 
treason  and  violence.  Never  was  a  nation  in  a  more  deplorable  state,  har- 
assed by  a  foreign  war  which  demanded  all  its  energies,  and  torn  by  domes- 
tic dissensions  which  no  human  wisdom  seemed  capable  of  healing. 

The  Jacobins  adopted  even  the  desperate  measure  to  feign  a  Eoyalist  in- 
surrection ;  to  scatter  white  cockades,  the  emblem  of  Bourbon  power ;  to 
shout  Vive  le  Boil  and  to  discharge  musketry  and  throw  petards  into  the 
streets,  that  the  people,  alarmed  by  the  peril  of  Bourbon  restoration,  might 
throw  themselves  into  the  arms  of  the  Jacobins  for  protection.*  A  mob  of 
nearly  a  thousand  most  determined  men  marched,  in  the  night  of  the  lOlh 
of  September,  upon  the  camp  at  Grenelle,  hoping  to  fraternize  with  the  sol- 
diers in  this  treasonable  endeavor  to  overthrow  the  government.  Several 
hundreds  fell  dead  or  wounded  in  this  frantic  attempt. 


NluUl'    ot    bhl'TKMJiKU    lU,    ITUli. 


The  Directory  now  attempted  to  enter  into  peaceful  relations  with  other 
powers,  and  effected  a  treaty  of  alliance,  offensive  and  defensive,  with  Spam. 
Envoys  were  also  sent  to  the  Ottoman  Porte  and  to  Venice  for  the  same  pur- 
pose. Piedmont  had  sued  for  peace  and  obtained  it.  The  Italians  of  Upper 
Italy,  exulting  in  their  emancipation  from  the  Austrians,  under  the  protec- 
tion of  Napoleon  established  the  Cispadane  Ecpublic.  Without  the  support 
of  his  strong  arm  they  could  not  for  a  day  resist  the  encroachments  of  the 
surrounding  despotisms.  The  first  National  Assembly  of  this  infant  repub- 
lic met  at  Modena,  October  16, 1796.  The  people  were  electrified  with  de- 
light at  this  unexpected  achievement  of  freedom.  The  Assembly  sent  an 
address  to  Napoleon,  informing  him  of  the  principles  of  their  new  govern- 
ment. 

"  Never  forget,"  said  Napoleon,  in  his  reply,  "  that  laws  are  mere  nullities 
without  the  force  necessary  to  support  them.  Attend  to  your  military  or- 
ganization, which  you  have  the  means  of  placing  on  a  respectable  footing. 

*  Thiers's  French  Revolution,  vol.  iv.,  p.  10. 

Dd 


418  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXTX 

You  will  tlien  be  more  fortunate  than  the  people  of  France,  for  you  will  ar- 
rive at  liberty  without  passing  through  the  ordeal  of  revolution." 

The  Directory  had  for  some  time  been  attempting  to  effect  peace  with  En- 
gland. On  the  18th  of  December  the  British  government  stated  on  what 
terms  it  would  consent  to  sheathe  the  sword.  M.  Thiers  expresses  the  feel- 
ings of  France  in  reference  to  this  offer  in  the  following  terms : 

"  Thus  France,  having  been  iniquitously  forced  into  war,  after  she  had  ex- 
pended enormous  sums,  and  from  which  she  had  come  off  victorious — France 
was  not  to  gain  a  single  province,  while  the  northern  powers  had  just  di- 
vided a  kingdom  between  them  (Poland),  and  England  had  recently  made 
immense  acquisitions  in  India.  France,  who  still  occupied  the  line  of  the 
Ehine,  and  who  was  mistress  of  Italy,  was  to  evacuate  the  Rhine  and  Italy 
at  the  bare  summons  of  England !  Such  conditions  were  absurd  and  inad- 
missible. The  very  proposal  of  them  was  an  insult,  and  they  could  not  be 
listened  to,"* 

To  conquer  a  peace,  the  Directory  now  meditated  a  direct  attack  upon  En- 
gland. The  Catholic  Irish,  over  three  millions  in  number,  hating  implaca- 
bly their  English  conquerors,  were  ardent  to  rise,  under  the  guarantee  of 
France,  and  establish  a  republican  government.  They  had  sent  secret  agents 
to  Paris  to  confer  with  the  Directory.  Wolfe  Tone,  one  of  the  leaders  of  the 
Irish  revolutionists,  addressed  memorials  to  the  French  Directory  solicit- 
ing aid. 

"  The  Catholics  of  Ireland,"  said  he,  "  are  8,150,000,  all  trained  from  their 
infancy  in  an  hereditary  hatred  and  abhorrence  of  the  English  name.  For 
these  five  years  they  have  fixed  their  eyes  most  earnestly  oti  France,  whom 
they  look  upon,  with  great  justice,  as  fighting  their  battles,  as  well  as  that 
of  all  mankind  who  are  oppressed.  Of  this  class  I  will  stake  my  head  there 
are  500,000  who  would  fly  to  the  standard  of  the  Republic  if  they  saw  it 
once  displayed  in  the  cause  of  liberty  and  their  country. 

"  The  Republic  may  also  rely  with  confidence  on  the  support  of  the  Dis- 
senters, actuated  by  reason  and  reflection,  as  well  as  the  Catholics  impelled 
by  misery  and  inflamed  by  detestation  of  the  English  name.  In  the  year 
1791  the  Dissenters  of  Belfast  first  formed  the  Club  of  United  Irishmen,  so 
called  because  in  that  club,  for  the  first  time.  Dissenters  and  Catholics  were 
seen  together  in  harmony  and  union.  Corresponding  clubs  were  rapidly 
formed,  the  object  of  which  was  to  subvert  the  tyranny  of  England,  establish 
the  independence  of  Ireland,  and  frame  a  free  republic  on  the  broad  basis  of 
liberty  and  equality. 

"  The  Catholics  also  have  an  organization,  commencing  about  the  same  time 
with  the  clubs  last  mentioned,  but  composed  of  Catholics  only.  In  June 
last  it  embraced  the  whole  peasantry  of  the  provinces  of  Ulster,  Leinster, 
and  Connaught,  three  fourths  of  the  nation,  and  I  have  little  doubt  that  it 
has  since  extended  into  Munster,  the  remaining  province.  The  eyes  of  this 
whole  body,  which  may  be  said,  almost  without  a  figure,  to  be  the  people  of 
Ireland,  are  turned  with  the  most  anxious  expectation  to  France  for  assist- 
ance and  support.  The  oath  of  their  union  recites  that  they  will  be  faithful 
to  the  united  nations  of  France  and  Ireland."f 

*  Thiers's  French  Revolution,  vol.  iv.,  p.  GG. 

t  Wolfe  Tone's  First  Memorial  to  the  French  Directory,  vol.  ii.,  p.  187. 


1796.]  THE  DIRECTORY.  419 

An  expedition  to  Ireland  was  secretly  resolved  upon.  A  fleet  of  fifteen 
sail  of  the  line,  twenty  frigates,  six  luggers,  and  fifty  transports,  containing 
sixteen  thousand  troops,  sailed  on  the  16th  of  December  to  land  in  Bantry 
Bay,  on  the  coast  of  Ireland.  But  the  very  night  after  the  squadron  left 
port  a  heavy  storm  arose,  in  which  one  ship  foundered  and  the  fleet  was 
widely  dispersed.  A  singular  series  of  casualties  ensued.  Some  of  the 
ships  entered  the  bay,  but  not  finding  their  companions,  after  waiting  a 
short  time,  returned  to  France.  Other  ships  of  the  expedition  soon  after  en- 
tered, but,  finding  the  bay  deserted,  they  also  returned.  The  expedition 
thus  proved  a  total  failure.* 

The  inefiicient  Directory  was  quite  unable  to  rectif)^  the  disorders  into 
which  the  internal  affairs  of  the  state  were  plunged.  They  uttered  loud 
complaints,  which  did  but  increase  discontent  and  disgust.  The  press,  being 
entirely  free,  indulged  in  the  utmost  violence ;  Eoyalists  and  Jacobins  assail- 
ing the  feeble  government  without  mercy  and  thwarting  its  operations  in 
every  possible  way.  The  army  of  Italy  was  triumphant — almost  miracu- 
lously so.  Every  where  else  the  Republic  was  in  disgrace.  The  Directory 
endeavored  to  throw  the  blame  of  the  public  calamities  upon  the  two  Coun- 
cils, and  published  the  following  message,  which  was  as  true  as  it  was  ill- 
advised  : 

"  All  departments  are  distressed.  The  pay  of  the  troops  is  in  arrear ; 
the  defenders  of  the  country,  in  rags  and  enervated  by  want,  in  disgust  are 
led  to  desertion.  The  hospitals  are  destitute  of  furniture,  fire,  and  drugs. 
The  charitable  institutions,  utterly  impoverished,  repel  the  poor  and  infirm. 
The  creditors  of  the  state,  the  contractors  who  supply  the  armies,  with  dif- 
ficulty obtain  but  a  small  portion  of  the  sums  that  are  their  due.  Distress 
keeps  aloof  men  who  could  perform  the  same  services  better  and  cheaper. 
The  roads  are  cut  up ;  the  communications  interrupted.  The  public  func- 
tionaries are  without  salary;  from  one  end  of  the  Republic  to  the  other 
judges  and  administrators  may  be  seen  reduced  to  the  horrible  alternative 
either  of  dragging  on,  with  their  families,  a  miserable  existence,  or  of  being 
dishonored  by  selling  themselves  to  intrigue.  The  evil-disposed  are  every 
where  busy.  In  many  places  murder  is  being  organized,  and  the  police, 
without  activity,  wdthout  energy,  because  it  is  without  pecuniary  means,  can 
not  put  a  stop  to  these  disorders." 

All  eyes  were  directed  to  the  achievements  of  Napoleon,  who,  with  super- 
human energy,  was  destroj'ing  army  after  army  of  the  Allies,  astounding 
Europe  by  his  exploits,  and  exciting  the  admiration  of  his  countrymen. 
Thiers  thus  describes  the  position  he  then  occupied  in  the  public  mind : 

"  Sickness,  together  with  the  excessive  fatigues  of  the  campaign,  had  weak- 
ened him  extremely.     He  could  scarcely  sit  on  horseback  ;  his  cheeks  were 

*  "  It  is  a  onrious  subject  for  speculation  what  might  have  been  the  result  had  Hoche  suc- 
ceeded in  landin};  with  sixteen  thousand  of  his  best  troops  on  the  Irish  shores.  To  those  who 
consider,  indeed,  the  patriotic  sjiirit.  indomitable  valor,  and  persevering  character  of  the  Enj^lish 
people,  and  the  comjilete  command  they  had  of  the  sea,  the  final  issue  of  such  a  contest  can  not 
appear  doubtful ;  but  it  is  equally  evident  that  the  addition  of  such  a  force  and  so  able  a  com- 
mander to  the  numerous  bodies  of  Irish  malcontents  would  have  engendered  a  dreadful  domes- 
tic war,  and  that  the  whole  energies  of  the  emjiire  might  for  a  very  long  jieriod  have  been  em- 
ployed in  saving  itself  from  dismemberment." — A/ison''s  History  of  Europe,  vol.  i.,  p.  444. 


420  THE  FRENCH  EEVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XXXIX. 

hollow  and  livid.  His  whole  appearance  was  deplorable.  His  eyes  alone, 
still  bright  and  piercing  as  ever,  indicated  that  the  fire  of  his  soul  was  not 
extinguished.  His  physical  proportions  formed  a  singular  contrast  with  his 
genius  and  his  renown,  a  contrast  amusing  to  soldiers  at  once  jovial  and  en- 
thusiastic. Notwithstanding  the  decline  of  his  strength,  his  extraordinary 
energy  supported  him  and  imparted  an  activity  which  was  apphed  to  all 
objects  at  once. 

"  He  had  begun  what  he  called  the  war  against  robbers.  Intriguers  of  all 
kinds  had  thronged  to  Italy  for  the  purpose  of  introducing  themselves  into 
the  administration  of  the  armies  and  profiting  by  the  wealth  of  that  fine 
country.  While  simplicity  and  indigence  pervaded  the  armies  of  the  Rhine, 
luxury  pervaded  that  of  Italy — luxury  as  great  as  its  glory.  The  soldiers, 
well  clothed  and  well  fed,  were  every  where  cordially  received,  and  lived 
in  pleasure  and  abundance.  The  ofiicers,  the  generals,  participated  in  the 
general  opulence,  and  laid  the  foundations  of  their  fortunes. 

"  Bonaparte,  who  had  within  him  all  the  passions,  but  who,  at  that  mo- 
ment, was  engrossed  by  one  passion,  that  of  glory,  lived  in  a  simple  and  aus- 
tere manner,  seeking  relaxation  only  in  the  society  of  his  wife,  to  whom  he 
was  tenderly  attached,  and  who  had  come,  at  his  desire,  to  his  head-quarters. 
Indignant  at  tne  disorders  of  the  administration,  he  strictly  scrutinized  the 
minutest  details,  verified  by  personal  inspection  the  accounts  of  the  compa- 
nies, denounced  the  dishonest  administrators  without  mercy,  and  caused 
them  to  be  prosecuted." 

Among  the  Directors,  Carnot  was  one  of  the  noblest  of  men.  The  purity 
of  his  character  slander  has  never  attempted  to  taint.  Barras  was  a  fearless 
soldier  and  a  shameless  debauchee.  He  boasted  of  the  profligacies  in  which 
he  openly  indulged,  and  he  rioted  in  boundless  extravagance,  which  he  sup- 
ported through  corruption  and  bribes.  Rewbel  was  a  lawyer,  a  man  of 
ability  and  integrity,*  These  three  men  had  belonged  to  different  political 
parties  during  the  Revolution,  and  each  detested  the  others.  Lareveill^re 
was  an  honest  man,  but  destitute  of  those  commanding  qualities  so  essential 
to  the  post  he  occupied.  Le  Tourneur  was  a  vain,  good-natured  man  who 
merely  echoed  the  voice  of  Carnot.  All  the  Directors  but  Barras  occupied, 
with  their  families,  apartments  in  the  Palace  of  the  Luxembourg.  In  the 
public  mind  this  discordant  Directory  consisted  of  two  parties,  Barras,  Rew- 
bel, and  Lareveill^re  in  the  majority,  and  Carnot  and  Le  Tourneur  in  the 
opposition. 

*  "Carnot,  Barras,  Rewbel,  and  Lareveillere  had  been  members  of  the  Convention;  and, 
although  none  of  them  had  been  famous  durinp  the  Reign  of  Terror  for  any  atrocious  act,  still 
the  three  first  had  voted  the  death  of  the  king — a  vote  which,  notwithstanding  the  fatal  though 
powerful  considerations  that  may  be  presented  in  alleviation,  placed  them  among  the  most  furi- 
ous Jacobins,  and  was  prejudicial  to  the  respect  with  which  they  ought  to  have  been  invested." 
— Memoirs  of  Lavaktte. 


1797.]  THE  OVERTHROW  OF  THE  DIRECTORY,  ETC.  421 


CHAPTER  XL. 

THE   OVERTHROW   OF  THE   DIRECTORY   AND   THE   ESTABLISHMENT  OF  THE 

CONSULATE. 

Proclamation  of  Napoleon. — March  into  Austria. — Letter  to  the  Archduke  Charles. — Prelimin- 
aries of  Peace. — Union  of  Parties  ajjainst  tlie  Directory. — Triumph  of  the  Directory. — A^eiuy 
of  Napoleon. — Severe  Measures  of  the  Directory. — Indignation  of  Najioleon. — Dictatorsiiip  of 
the  Directory. — Dismay  of  the  Royalists. — Treaty  of  Campo  Formio. — Napoleon's  Address  to 
the  Cispadane  Repuhlic. — Remarks  of  Napoleon. — Plan  for  the  Invasion  of  India. — E.xpedi- 
tion  to  Egypt. — New  Coalition. — Rastadt. 

It  was  now  the  month  of  March,  1797,  and  Napoleon,  having  driven  the 
Austrians  out  of  Italy,  is.sued  the  following  proclamation,  an  unexaggerated 
statement  of  facts  which  amazed  and  appalled  hostile  Europe : 

"  Soldiers !  the  capture  of  Mantua  has  put  an  end  to  the  war  of  Italy. 
You  have  been  victorious  in  fourteen  pitched  battles  and  seventy  actions. 
You  have  taken  100,000  prisoners,  500  field-pieces,  2000  heavy  cannon,  and 
four  pontoon  trains.  The  contributions  laid  on  the  countries  you  have  con- 
quered have  fed,  maintained,  and  paid  the  army ;  besides  which,  you  have 
sent  thirty  millions  ($6,000,000)  to  the  Minister  of  Finance  for  the  use  of 
the  public  treasury.  You  have  enriched  the  Museum  of  Paris  with  three 
hundred  master-pieces  of  ancient  and  modern  Italy,  which  it  had  required 
thirty  centuries  to  produce.  You  have  conquered  for  the  Republic  the  fin- 
est countries  in  Europe.  The  kings  of  Sardinia  and  Naples,  the  Pope,  and 
the  Duke  of  Parma  are  separated  from  the  coalition.  You  have  expelled  the 
English  from  Leghorn,  Genoa,  and  Corsica.  Still  higher  destinies  await  you. 
You  will  prove  yourselves  worthy  of  them.  Of  all  the  foes  who  combined 
to  stifle  our  Republic  in  its  birth  the  emperor  alone  remains." 

On  the  16th  of  March  the  little  army  of  Bonaparte  crossed  the  Taglia- 
mento  to  march  upon  Vienna,  there  to  compel  Austria  to  cease  the  iniqui- 
tous war  which  now  for  six  years  had  desolated  Europe.  Battle  after  battle 
ensued,  and  the  Austrians  met  the  French  only  to  be  vanquished.  On  the 
31st  of  March  Napoleon  wrote  to  the  Archduke  Charles,  who  was  brother  of 
the  emperor  and  commander-in-chief  of  the  Austrian  forces,  as  follows : 

"  General-in-Chief:  brave  soldiers  make  war  and  desire  j)eace.  Has  not 
this  war  lasted  six  years?  Have  we  not  slain  men  enough  and  inflicted  ca- 
lamities enough  on  suffering  humanity  ?  It  cries  out  on  all  sides.  Europe, 
which  had  taken  up  arms  against  the  French  Republic,  has  laid  them  down. 
Your  nation  alone  is  left,  and  yet  blood  is  about  to  be  spilled  more  abund- 
antly than  ever. 

"The  Executive  Directory  of  the  French  Republic  communicated  to  his 
majesty  the  emperor  its  desire  to  put  an  end  to  the  war  which  afllicts  both 
nations.  The  intervention  of  the  Court  of  London  has  opjwsed  this  wish. 
Is  there,  then,  no  hope  of  arrangement?  And  must  we  continue  to  slaugh- 
ter one  another  for  the  interests  and  the  passions  of  a  nation  which  knows 
nothing  of  the  calamities  of  war  ?     You,  general,  who  are  by  birth  so  near 


422  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XL. 

to  the  throne,  and  above  all  the  petty  passions  which  so  frequently  actuate 
ministers  and  governments,  are  you  determined  to  merit  the  title  of  bene- 
factor of  the  whole  human  race  and  the  real  savior  of  Grermany  ? 

"  Imagine  not,  general,  that  I  mean  by  this  that  it  is  not  possible  to  save 
her  by  the  force  of  arms.  But,  even  supposing  that  the  chances  of  war 
turn  in  your  favor,  Germany  will  not,  on  that  account,  be  the  less  ravaged. 
As  for  me,  general,  if  the  overture  which  I  have  the  honor  to  make  to  you 
can  save  the  life  of  a  single  man,  I  shall  be  prouder  of  the  civic  crown 
which  I  shall  feel  that  I  have  deserved  than  of  the  melancholy  glory  which 
can  result  from  military  successes."* 

The  archduke  rephed  that  he  was  commanded  to  prosecute  the  war,  and 
had  no  authority  to  enter  into  conference  upon  terms  of  peace.f  The  war 
was  now  prosecuted  with  renewed  vigor,  as  the  French  drove  the  Austrians 
through  the  defiles  of  the  Tyrol,  and  entered  the  plains  of  Germany.  But 
a  few  days  passed  ere  Napoleon  arrived  within  sight  of  the  steeples  of  Vi- 
enna. The  capital  was  in  consternation ;  the  people  demanded  peace ;  the 
archduke  urged  it,  declaring  himself  quite  unable  to  protect  the  city.  The 
Austrian  court  now  implored  the  clemency  of  the  conqueror,  and  sent  com- 
missioners to  Napoleon,  at  his  head-quarters  at  Leoben,  with  full  powers  to 
settle  the  basis  of  peace.  The  preliminaries  were  signed  at  Leoben  on  the 
18th  of  April,  which  put  a  stop  to  the  effusion  of  blood. 

By  the  election  in  May  of  one  third  of  the  two  legislative  bodies,  the 
counter-revolutionists  had  obtained  a  majority  in  both  chambers.  This  ex- 
ceedingly elated  the  Eoyalists.  The  two  Councils  now  commenced  a  furious 
war  against  the  Republican  Directory,  seeking  to  overthrow  it,  and  to  re- 
establish, not  the  old  Bourbon  despotism,  but  the  constitutional  monarchy 
of  1791.  There  were  now  four  parties  in  the  field.  The  old  Bourbon 
party,  the  friends  of  constitutional  monarchy,  the  Eepublicans,  and  the  Jac- 
obins. Three  of  these  parties  united  against  the  Directory,  each  hoping, 
in  the  overthrow  of  the  Directors,  to  establish  its  own  principles.  One  of 
the  Directors  was  to  leave.  The  Royalists  succeeded  in  placing  Barthelemy, 
a  counter-revolutionist,  in  his  place.  The  conflict  which  now  arose  was 
whether  the  Republican  Directory  should  be  abolished  or  maintained.  A 
stern  conflict  was  evidently  rising.  The  Directory  headed  one  party,  the 
two  Councils  the  other.  In  accordance  with  the  disastrous  temper  of  the 
times,  both  parties  began  to  count  bayonets  instead  of  votes,  that  the  ques- 
tion might  be  settled  on  a  field  of  blood.  The  emigrants  and  the  priests 
returned  in  great  numbers,  forged  passports  being  transmitted  to  them  from 
Paris. 

The  Councils  had  a  legislative  guard  of  fifteen  hundred  men,  and  hoped 

*  Memoires  de  Napoleon,  diet,  an  Montholon  et  Gourgaud,  vol.  iv.,  p.  96,  97. 

t  "  Unquestionably,  sir,"  replied  the  duke,  "I  desire  as  much  as  you  the  attainment  of  peace 
for  the  happiness  of  the  people  and  of  humanity.  Considering,  however,  that  in  the  situation 
which  I  hold,  it  is  no  part  of  my  business  to  inquire  into  and  determine  the  quarrel  of  the  bellig- 
erent powers,  and  that  I  am  not  furnished,  on  the  part  of  the  emperor,  with  any  ])letiipotcntiary 
powers  for  treating,  you  will  excuse  me,  general,  if  I  do  not  enter  into  negotiation  with  you 
touching  a  matter  of  the  highest  importance,  but  which  does  not  lie  within  my  department. 
Whatever  shall  happen,  either  respecting  the  future  chances  of  war  or  the  prospects  ofooace,  I 
request  you  to  be  equally  convinced  of  my  distinguished  esteem." 


1797.] 


THE  OVERTHROW  OF  THE  DIRECTORY,  ETC. 


423 


to  avail  itself  of  the  National  Guard,  not  then  fully  reorganized.  They  also 
placed  great  reliance  on  Pichegru,  who  was  treasonably  plotting  the  restora^ 
tion  of  the  Bourbons.  The  Constitution  did  not  allow  any  of  the  standing 
army  to  approach  within  thirty-six  miles  of  Paris.  In  defiance  of  this  pro^ 
vision,  the  Director^-,  under  pretense  of  sending  a  fresh  expedition  to  Ire^ 
land,  assembled  twelve  thousand  veteran  troops  under  the  walls  of  the 
metropolis.  General  Bonaparte,  aware  of  the  peril  of  the  Directory,  and 
of  the  danger  of  the  restoration  of  royalty,  had  sent  the  intrepid  Augereau 
to  Paris  to  assist  the  Directory  in  any  emergency.  The  Director}^  was  the 
established  government  of  the  nation,  and,  imbecile  as  it  was,  its  overthrow 
by  violence  at  that  time  could  only  lead  to  anarchy  and  blood.* 

At  midnight  on  the  17th  Fructidor  (September  8d),  twelve  thousand 
men,  with  forty  pieces  of  cannon,  were  silently  marched  into  the  city,  and 
surrounded  the  Tuileries.  A  body  of  the  Legislative  Guard  was  stationed 
at  the  Pont  Tournant,  the  entrance-passage  to  the  garden.  Augereau  ap- 
proached them  at  the  head  of  a  numerous  staff.  "  Are  you  Republicans?" 
said  he.  The  soldiers  immediately  lowered  their  arms,  and  shouted  "  Vive 
Augereau/  Vive  le  Directoirer  They  fraternized  at  once  with  the  troops 
of  the  Directory.     The  victory  was  gained;  no  blood  was  shed.     At  six 


AUOEBEAU   AT  THE  PONT  TOUENANT. 


*  "The  Directory  bocame  alarmed  for  their  own  existence.  It  had  already  been  ascertained 
that  190  of  the  deputies  had  been  enpajjed  to  restore  the  exiled  royal  family,  while  the  Direct- 
ory could  only  reckon  on  the  support  of  130;  and  the  Ancients  had  resolved,  by  a  large  major- 
ity, to  transfer  the  seat  of  the  Legislature  to  Rouen,  on  account  of  its  proximity  to  the  western 
provinces,  whose  Royalist  principles  had  always  been  so  decided.  The  next  election,  it  was  ex- 
pected, would  nearly  extinguish  the  Revolutionary  party;  and  the  Directory  were  aware  that 
the  transition  was  easy,  for  regicides,  as  the  greater  part  of  them  were,  from  the  Luxembourg  to 
the  scaffold." — Alison,  vol.  i.,  p.  491. 


424  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XL. 

o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  the  citizens  awoke,  they  were  surprised  to 
find  that  a  revolution  had  taken  place  during  the  night. 

The  three  victorious  directors  condemned  to  banishment  their  two  col- 
leagues, Carnot  and  Barthdlemy,  forty-two  members  of  the  Council  of  Five 
Hundred,  eleven  of  the  Council  of  Ancients,  several  Royalist  agents,  and 
forty-two  editors,  publishers,  and  proprietors  of  counter-revolutionary  jour- 
nals. It  is  but  a  wretched  extenuation  for,  these  deeds  of  violence,  to  assert 
that,  had  the  Councils  gained  the  victory,  they  would  have  treated  the  Di- 
rectory in  the  same  way.  The  Directory  thus  assumed  the  dictatorship 
over  unhappy,  distracted  France;  but  even  that  was  better  than  anarchy, 
and  almost  any  thing  was  better  than  a  return  to  the  old  Bourbon  despot- 
ism.* This  signal  defeat  crushed  the  hopes  of  the  Eoyalists.  The  minority 
of  the  Councils,  who  were  in  the  interests  of  the  Directory,  were  reassembled 
in  the  Odeon  and  the  School  of  Medicine,  and  with  this  organization  the 
government  attempted  to  carry  on  the  distracted  affairs  of  the  nation.f 

On  the  12th  of  August  Augereau  had  written  to  Greneral  Bonaparte, 

"  Nothing  is  more  certain  than  that,  if  the  public  mind  is  not  essentially 
changed  before  the  approaching  elections,  every  thing  is  lost,  and  a  civil  war 
remains  as  our  last  resource." 

On  the  23d  of  September  Napoleon  wrote  to  Augereau,  "  The  whole  army 
applauds  the  wisdom  and  energy  which  you  have  displayed  in  this  crisis, 
and  has  rejoiced  sincerely  at  the  success  of  the  patriots.  It  is  only  to  be 
hoped,  now,  that  moderation  and  wisdom  will  guide  your  steps.  That  is  the 
most  ardent  wish  of  my  heart.":}: 

But  Napoleon  was  indignant  when  he  heard  of  the  excessive  severity 
adopted  by  the  Directory.  "It  might  have  been  right,"  he  wrote,  "to  de- 
prive Carnot,  Barth^lemy,  and  the  fifty  deputies  of  their  appointments,  and 
put  them  under  surveillance  in  some  cities  in  the  interior.  Pichegru,  Wil- 
lot,  Imbert,  Colonne,  and  one  or  two  others  might  justly  have  expiated  their 
treason  on  the  scaflfold.§  But  to  see  men  of  great  talent,  such  as  Portalis, 
Ducoudray,  Fontanes ;  tried  patriots,  such  as  Boissy  d'Anglas,  Dumolard, 
Murinais ;  supreme  magistrates,  such  as  Carnot  and  Barthelemy,  condemned 
without  either  trial  or  accusation,  is  frightful.  What !  to  punish  with  trans- 
portation a  number  of  writers  of  pamphlets,  who  deserved  only  contempt 
and  a  trifling  correction,  was  to  renew  the  proscriptions  of  the  Roman  trium- 
virs. It  was  to  act  more  cruelly  than  Fouquier  Tinville ;  since  he,  at  least, 
put  the  accused  on  their  trial,  and  condemned  them  only  to  death.  All  the 
armies,  all  the  people  were  for  a  Republic.     State  necessity  could  not  be  al- 

*  "  We  may  say  that,  on  the  18th  Fructidor  of  the  year  V.,  it  was  necessary  that  the  Directo- 
ry should  triumph  over  the  counter-revolution,  by  dcoimatinf;;  tlie  Councils ;  or  that  the  Councils 
should  triuni])h  over  the  Republic,  by  overthrowing  the  Directory.  The  question  thus  stated,  it 
remains  to  inquire,  first,  if  the  Directory  could  have  conquered  by  any  other  moans  than  a  coup 
(Titat,  and,  secondly,  whether  it  misused  its  victory." — Mignet,  p.  3.S8. 

t  "Though  France  suffered  extremely  from  the  usurpation  which  overthrew  its  electoral  gov- 
ernment, and  substituted  the  empire  of  force  for  the  chimeras  of  democracy,  there  seems  no 
reason  to  believe  that  a  more  just  or  equitable  government  could,  at  that  period,  have  been  sub- 
stituted in  its  room." — Alison,  vol.  i.,  p.  496. 

X  Bourrienne,  vol.  i.,  p.  2r)0. 

§  These  men  were  in  constant  correspondence  with  the  Bourbons,  and  were  conspiring  for 
their  restoration. 


1797.]  THE  OVERTHROW  OF  THE  DIRECTORY,  ETC.  425 

leged  in  favor  of  so  revolting  an  injustice,  so  flagrant  a  violation  of  the  laws 
and  the  rights  of  the  citizens."* 

The  Royalists  were  dismayed  by  this  sudden  disaster.  The  priests  and 
emigrants,  who  had  returned  in  great  numbers,  fled  again  to  the  frontiers. 
Those  who  were  advancing  toward  France  retreated  back  to  Switzerland 
and  Germany.  M.  Merlin  and  M.  Frangois— the  one  a  lawyer,  the  other  a 
man  of  letters,  and  both  upright  Republicans— were  chosen  in  the  place  of 
Carnot  and  Barthelemy.  The  guilt  of  Pichegru  was  fully  established.  Mo- 
reau,  in  crossing  the  Rhine,  had  taken  the  papers  of  General  Klinglin,  in 
which  he  had  found  the  whole  treasonable  correspondence  of  Pichegru  with 
the  Prince  of  Conde. 

The  Directors  now  pushed  the  measures  of  government  with  Revolution- 
ary energy.  The  British  government,  finding  themselves  deprived  of  every 
ally,  sent  Lord  Malmesbury  to  Paris  to  negotiate  for  peace.  The  British 
ministry  were  willing  to  give  up  the  colonies  which  they  had  wrested  from 
France,  but  would  not  give  up  the  colonies  they  had  wrested  from  the  allies 
of  France,  Spain  and  Holland.  It  is  difficult  to  see  how  the  Directory,  with 
any  sense  of  honor  whatever,  could,  under  such  circumstances,  have  aban- 
doned its  allies.  Upon  this  point  there  was  a  rupture,  and  war  with  En- 
gland continued  to  rage.f 

On  the  28th  of  October  the  treaty  of  Campo  Formio  was  signed,  which 
secured  peace  with  the  Emperor  of  Germany.  The  Directors  had  sent  to 
Napoleon  an  ultimatum  which  would  have  prevented  the  possibility  of  peace. 
Napoleon  boldly  rejected  their  demands,  and  made  peace  on  his  own  terms. 
The  nation  hailed  the  peace  with  such  joy,  and  Napoleon  was  now  so 
boundlessly  popular,  that  the  Directors  did  not  dare  to  refuse  their  ratifica- 
tion. Napoleon  was  now  prepared  to  return  to  France.  He  had  established 
the  Cisalpine  Republic,  and  compelled  its  recognition  by  the  only  powers 
which  could  endanger  its  existence.  Before  leaving  Italy  he  thus  addressed 
this  state  in  the  infancy  of  its  freedom : 

"You  are  the  first  people  in  history  who  have  become  free  without  fac- 
tions, without  revolutions,  without  convulsions.  We  have  given  you  free- 
dom ;  take  care  to  preserve  it.  To  be  worthy  of  your  destiny,  make  only 
discreet  and  moderate  laws ;  cause  them  to  be  executed  with  energy ;  favor 
the  diffusion  of  knowledge,  and  respect  religion.  Compose  your  army,  not 
of  disreputable  men,  but  of  citizens  imbued  with  the  principles  of  the  Re- 
public and  closely  linked  to  its  prosperity.  You  have,  in  general,  need  to 
impress  yourselves  with  the  feeling  of  your  strength,  and  with  the  dignity 
which  befits  the  freeman.     Divided,  and  bowed  down  for  ages  by  tyranny, 

*  Mcmoircs  dc  Napolpon,  diet,  an  Montholon  ot  Gotirpaud,  vol.  iv.,  p.  233. 

"The  18th  Fructidor  is  the  true  era  of  the  commencement  of  military  despotism  in  France. 
The  subsequent  government  of  the  country  was  but  a  succession  of  illegal  usurpations  on  the  part 
of  the  depositaries  of  jiower,  in  which  the  peojjle  had  no  share,  and  by  which  their  rights  were 
equally  invaded,  until  tranquillity  was  restored  by  the  vigorous  hand  of  Napoleon." — Alison,  vol. 
i.,  p.  496. 

+  Mignet  says,  "The  offers  of  Pitt  not  being  sincere,  the  Directory  did  not  allow  itself  to  be 
deceived  by  dijilomatic  stratagems.     The  negotiations  were  twice  broken  off,  and  war  continued 
between  the  two  powers.     While  England  negotiated  at  Lille,  she  was  preparing  at  St  Peters- 
burg the  triple  alliance  or  second  coalition." — Migvet,  |).  341. 
Vol.  II.— K 


426  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XL. 

you  would  not,  unaided,  have  conquered  your  liberty.  In  a  few  years,  if 
left  to  yourselves,  no  power  on  earth  will  be  strong  enough  to  wrest  it  from 
you.  Till  then  France  will  protect  you  against  the  attacks  of  your  neigh- 
bors ;  its  political  system  will  be  united  with  yours."* 

The  blessings  of  the  Italians  were  showered  upon  Napoleon  as  he  depart- 
ed. As  he  entered  France  he  was  every  where  greeted  with  love,  admira- 
tion, and  enthusiasm.  His  progress  through  the  departments  was  a  tri- 
umphal march.  In  Paris  he  was  received  with  salvos  of  artillery,  ringing 
of  bells,  illuminations,  and  the  huzzas  of  the  multitude.  In  the  laconic  ad- 
dress of  Napoleon  to  the  authorities  of  government  in  their  grand  reception, 
he  uttered  sentiments  in  perfect  accordance  with  his  whole  precedent  and 
subsequent  career. 

"  The  French  people,"  said  he,  "  in  order  to  be  free  had  kings  to  combat. 
To  obtain  a  Constitution  founded  on  reason  it  had  the  prejudices  of  eighteen 
centuries  to  overcome.  The  Constitution  of  the  year  III.  and  you  have  tri- 
umphed over  all  obstacles.  Eeligion,  feudality,  royalty,  have  successively, 
for  twenty  centuries  past,  governed  Europe.  But  from  the  peace  which  you 
have  just  concluded  dates  the  era  of  representative  governments.  You  have 
succeeded  in  organizing  the  great  nation  whose  vast  territory  is  circum- 
scribed only  because  Nature  herself  has  hxed  its  limits.  You  have  done 
more.  The  two  finest  countries  in  Europe,  formerly  so  renowned  for  the 
arts,  the  sciences,  and  the  great  men  whose  cradle  they  were,  see  with  the 
greatest  hopes  genius  and  freedom  issuing  from  the  tomb  of  their  ancestors. 
These  are  two  pedestals  on  which  destiny  is  about  to  place  two  powerful  na- 
tions. I  have  the  honor  to  deliver  to  you  the  treaty  signed  at  Campo  For- 
mio,  and  ratified  by  his  majesty  the  emperor.  Peace  secures  the  liberty,  the 
prosperity,  and  the  glory  of  the  Republic.  When  the  happiness  of  the 
French  people  shall  be  seated  on  better  organic  laws,  all  Europe  will  become 
free." 

Napoleon,  having  returned  to  Paris,  sought  seclusion,  laid  aside  his  mili- 
tary dress,  and  devoted  himself  with  great  assiduity  to  studies  of  natural  and 
political  science.  He  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  Institute,  and  took  his 
seat  between  the  distinguished  philosophers  Lagrange  and  Laplace.  He 
wrote  the  following  note  in  acceptance  of  his  election :    — 

"  The  suffrage  of  the  distinguished  men  who  compose  the  Institute  honors 
me.  I  feel  sensibly  that  before  I  can  become  their  equal  I  must  long  be 
their  pupil.  The  only  true  conquests,  those  which  awaken  no  regret,  are 
those  we  obtain  over  ignorance.  The  most  honorable,  as  the  most  useful 
pursuit  of  nations,  is  that  which  contributes  to  the  extension  of  the  human 

*  Mem.  de  Napoleon,  diet,  au  Month,  et  Gourpaud,  vol.  iv.,  p.  271. 

The  English  Tory  historians,  such  as  Scott  and  Alison,  denounce  France  vehemently  for  re- 
fusing to  abandon  her  allies,  Spain  and  Holland,  for  the  sake  of  ])eace  with  England.  At  the 
same  time  they  load  Napoleon  with  epithets  of  infamy  for  refusing  to  continue  a  bloody  war  with 
Austria  for  the  sake  of  protecting  an  aristocratic  and  jjcrfidious  enemy,  Venice,  from  the  rajjacity 
of  Austria,  an  ally  with  Venice  in  the  unjust  war  upon  France.  The  remarks  of  Alison  upon 
tliis  subject  arc  a  melancholy  exhibitioTi  of  the  power  of  prejudice  to  prevent  the  sense  of  justice. 
"Austria,"  writes  T.W.  Redhead,  "nefariously  ai)proj)riated  the  possessions  of  a  faithful  and  at- 
tached ally,  while  France  did  but  consent  to  the  despoilment  of  a  hostile  government,  ready  to  as- 
sail her  ujjon  the  least  reverse." — The  French  Revolutions,  vol.  ii.,  p.  100. 


1798.]  THE  OVERTHROW  OF  THE  DIRECTORY,  ETC.  427 

intellect.  The  real  greatness  of  the  French  Republic  ought  henceforth  to 
consist  in  not  permitting  the  existence  of  one  new  idea  which  has  not  been 
added  to  the  national  stock." 

When  subsequently  speaking  of  this  period  of  his  life  he  remarked,  "  Man- 
kind are,  in  the  end,  always  governed  by  superiority  of  intellectual  quali- 
ties, and  none  are  more  sensible  of  this  than  the  military  i)rofession.  When, 
on  my  return  to  Paris  from  Italy,  I  assumed  the  dress  of  the  Institute  and 
associated  with  men  of  science,  I  knew  what  I  was  doing.  I  was  sure  of 
not  being  misunderstood  by  the  lowest  drummer  of  the  army." 

lie  was  frequently  consulted  by  the  Directory  on  important  questions. 
He  had  no  confidence  in  the  government  of  the  Directory,  and  only  lent  it 
his  support  so  far  as  to  prevent  the  restoration  of  royalty.  The  Directory 
wished  him  to  take  command  of  a  new  army,  to  try  to  conquer,  on  the  shores 
of  England,  a  peace  with  that  government  which  now  alone  continued  the 
war.  With  that  object  in  view  he  visited  the  coast  and  carefully  scrutinized 
the  resources  at  command  for  the  invasion  of  England.  He,  however,  pro- 
nounced the  project  too  hazardous,  and  convinced  the  Directory  that  the 
only  vulnerable  point  which  England  presented  was  in  India.  In  accord- 
ance with  this  suggestion  a  secret  expedition  was  fitted  out  to  invade  India 
by  the  way  of  Egypt. 

On  the  19th  of  Ma}^,  1798,  the  Egyptian  expedition  sailed  from  Toulon. 
To  settle  innumerable  minor  affairs  in  reference  to  the  Germanic  States,  a 
Congress  of  Embassadors,  from  Austria,  France,  and  Germany  had  now  for 
some  months  been  in  session  at  Rastadt.  The  British  government  in  the 
mean  time  vigorously  commenced  endeavors  to  ally  the  monarchies  of  Eu- 
rope in  a  new  war  against  France.  It  appealed  to  the  fears  of  all  the  sover- 
eigns by  showing  them  that  the  toleration  of  any  republican  institutions  in 
Europe  endangered  all  their  thrones. 

"  England,"  says  Thiers,  "  with  a  view  to  foment  this  fear  had  filled  all 
the  courts  with  her  emissaries.  She  urged  the  new  king  of  Prussia  to  relin- 
quish his  neutrality,  and  to  preserve  Germany  from  the  inundation.  She 
endeavored  to  work  upon  the  wrong-headed  and  violent  emperor  Paul.  She 
strove  to  alarm  Austria,  and  offered  her  subsidies  if  she  would  renew  the 
war.     She  excited  the  silly  passions  of  the  Queen  of  Naples."* 

All  over  Europe  war  began  again  to  menace  France.  While  the  com- 
missioners were  negotiating  at  Rastadt,  the  armies  of  the  new  coalition  com- 
menced their  march.  There  was  no  alternative  before  them.  Principles  of 
liberty  were  spreading  rapidly  through  Europe ;  and  the  despotic  monarchs 
could  only  maintain  their  thrones  by  quenching  that  spirit  in  blood.  They 
were  compelled  either  to  fight  or  to  surrender.  "  The  monarchs  did  right 
to  defend  their  thrones,"  say  the  Royalists.  "The  people  did  right  to  de- 
fend their  liberties,"  say  the  Republicans.  So  long  as  there  are  in  the  world 
advocates  of  aristocratic  assumption  and  advocates  of  popular  rights  so  long 
will  these  points  be  controverted.  The  Queen  of  Naples  commenced  hostili- 
ties, without  any  declaration  of  war,  by  sending  an  army  of  fifty  thousand 
men  to  drive  the  French  out  of  Italy,  in  November,  1798.  The  French  ar- 
mies now  crossed  the  Rhine  and  entered  Germany.     The  Russian  and  the 

*  Thiers,  vol.  iv.,  p.  334. 


428  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  [ChAP.  XL. 

Austrian  armies  were  immediately  on  tlie  move.  The  French  embassadors 
at  Rastadt  received  orders  to  leave  in  twenty-four  hours.  At  nine  o'clock 
in  the  evening  of  the  28th  of  April  the  three  ministers,  Debry,  Bonnier, 
and  Roberjeot,  set  out  with  their  families.  They  occupied  three  carriages. 
They  had  hardly  left  the  town,  when,  in  the  darkness,  a  troop  of  Austrian 
hussars  rushed  upon  them,  and,  dragging  the  helpless  embassadors  from 
their  coaches  cut  them  down  in  the  presence  of  their  wives  and  children. 
The  ruffians  plundered  the"  carriages  and  carried  off  all  the  papers.  Debry, 
though  left  senseless  and  supposed  to  be  dead,  revived,  and,  covered  with 
wounds  and  blood,  crawled  back  to  Rastadt.  This  execrable  violation  of 
the  law  of  nations,  so  unheard  of  among  civilized  people,  excited  the  detest- 
ation of  Europe.  War,  ferocious  and  implacable,  was  agani  renewed  in  all 
its  horrors.* 


ASSASSINATION  or  THE  EM liASSADORS  AT  EAaTADT. 


Every  thing  was  now  in  confusion,  and  universal  discontent  rose  up  around 
the  Directory.  France  was  distracted  by  hostile  parties,  while  triumphant 
armies  were  crowding  her  frontiers.  All  social  ties  were  dissolved.  Un- 
principled rapacity  characterized  the   measures  of  government.     Religion 

*  "Our  plenipotentiaries  were  massacred  at  Rastadt,  and  notwithstandinR  the  indignation  ex- 
pressed by  all  France  at  that  atrocity,  vengeance  was  still  very  tardy  in  overtaking  the  assassins. 
The  two  Councils  were  the  first  to  render  a  melancholy  tribute  of  honor  to  the  victims.  Who 
that  saw  that  ceremony  ever  forgot  its  solemnity?  Who  can  recollect  without  emotion  the  re- 
ligious silence  which  reigned  throughout  the  hall  and  galleries  when  the  vote  was  j.ut?  The 
president  then  turned  toward  the  curule  chairs  of  the  victims,  on  which  lay  the  official  costume 
of  the  assassinated  representatives,  covered  with  black  crape,  bent  over  them,  pronounced  the 
names  of  Roberjeot  and  Bonnier,  and  added,  in  a  voice  the  tone  of  which  was  always  thrilling, 
AssAssiNATF.n  AT  TiiK  CoNORKSs  OF  Rastadt.  Immediately  nil  the  representatives  responded, 
'May  their  blood  be  upon  the  heads  of  their  murderers:  "—Duchess  o/Abrantes,  p.  206. 


1799.]  THE  OVERTHROW  OF  THE  DIRECTORY,  ETC.  429 

was  abolished  and  the  administration  of  justice  seemed  a  farce.  The  kiws 
were  disregarded ;  violence  reigned  unchecked ;  intriguing  tactions  succeed- 
ed each  other,  while  Jacobins,  Royalists,  and  Kepubiicans  were  struggling 
for  the  supremacy.  The  people,  di.sgusted  with  this  state  of  anarchy,  were 
longing  for  a  deliverer  who  would  rescue  the  government  from  disgrace  and 
at  the  same  time  save  France  from  falling  back  under  the  despotism  of  the 
Bourbons. 

Napoleon,  in  Egypt,  informed  of  this  state  of  affairs,  decided  immediately 
to  return  to  France.  He  landed  at  Frejus  on  the  9th  of  October,  1799,  and 
traversed  Franco,  from  the  ^[cditerranean  to  Paris,  through  a  constant  scene 
of  rejoicing.  Such  universal  enthusiasm  awaited  him,  that  without  the 
shedding  of  a  drop  of  blood  he  overthrew  the  imbecile  government  of  the 
Directory  and  established  the  Consulate.  The  nation  received  this  change 
with  almost  universal  ap])lause.  For  the  narrative  of  these  events  and  the 
subsequent  career  of  the  Revolution  the  reader  must  be  referred  to  the  His- 
tory of  Napoleon  Bonaparte. 


APPENDIX 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES    OF   LEADING 

CHARACTERS    IN  THE    FRENCH 

REVOLUTION. 


AUGEREAU,  Piekee  Francois  Charles,  the  son  of  a  poor  fruiterer 
in  one  of  the  faubourgs  in  Paris,  was  born  at  Paris,  November  11,  1757. 
At  an  early  age  he  entered  the  l^eapolitan  service,  but  in  1787  was  still 
only  a  private  soldier.  Seeing  little  prospect  of  advancement,  he  quitted 
the  army  in  disgust  and  settled  at  Naples,  where  he  taught  fencing.  In 
1792,  however,  he  returned  to  France,  and  became  a  volunteer  in  the  re- 
j^ublican  army  of  the  South.  Owing  to  his  daring  intrepidity,  his  pro- 
motion was  rapid  beyond  all  precedent.  In  1794  he  was  brigadier-gen- 
eral, and  two  years  later  general  of  division.  In  the  year  1796  he 
joined  the  army  of  Italy,  and  fought  at  Lodi  and  Castiglione,  from  which 
place  he  afterwards  derived  his  ducal  title.  In  this  campaign,  Augereau, 
who  was  as  avaricious  as  he  was  cruel,  amassed  immense  wealth.  In 
1799  he  warmly  espoused  Bonaparte's  cause,  and  on  the  establishment 
of  the  empire  was  created  marshal,  and  Duke  of  Castiglione.  In  1806 
he  distinguished  himself  greatly  at  the  battle  of  Jena,  and,  after  the 
Russian  expedition,  still  more  so  in  the  campaigns  in  Germany.  He 
was  one  of  the  first  to  give  in  his  adhesion  to  Louis  XVIIL,  for  which 
he  was  presented  with  the  cross  of  St,  Louis,  and  created  a  peer  of 
France.  On  Napoleon's  return  from  Elba,  however,  he  again  offered 
his  services  to  the  Emperor,  who  repulsed  him  as  a  traitor,  and,  being 
neglected  also  by  the  Rourbons  shortly  after,  he  retired  to  his  country- 
seat,  where  he  died  in  1816. — Court  and  Camp  of  Bonaparte. 

Augereau  was  a  man  wholly  destitute  of  religious  feeling.  When  Na- 
poleon re-established  religious  worship  in  France,  he  insisted  on  all  his 
ministers  and  generals  attending  a  solemn  Te  Deum,  which  was  chanted 
at  the  cathedral  of  Notre  Dame.  Lannes  and  Augereau  wanted  to 
alight  from  the  carriage,  and  it  required  an  order  from  the  First  Consul 
to  prevent  their  doing  so.  They  went,  therefore,  to  Notre  Dame,  where 
Augereau  kept  swearing,  in  no  low  whisper,  during  the  whole  of  the 
chanted  mass.  The  next  day  Ronaparte  asked  him  what  he  thought  of 
the  ceremony.  "  Oh,  it  was  all  very  fine,"  replied  the  general ;  "  there 
was  nothing  wanting  but  the  million  of  men  who  have  perished  in  the 
pulling  down  of  what  you  are  now  setting  up." — Bourrienne. 


434  BIOGKAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

BABCETJF,  Feancois  Noel,  born  at  St.  Quentin  in  1764,  was  the 
son  of  a  collector  of  the  salt-tax,  and,  in  1777,  entered  into  the  service 
of  a  gentleman,  who  gave  him  some  sort  of  education,  and  made  him  his 
confidential  man  of  business.  He  soon  afterwards  married  a  chamber- 
maid, made  himself  conspicuous  by  his  revolutionary  doctrines,  and,  in 
1792,  was  appointed  elector  of  the  department  of  Somme.  On  the 
overthrow  of  Robespierre,  he  turned  journalist,  styled  himself  Gracchus, 
and  wrote  with  severity  against  the  Jacobins,  to  whom  he  gave  the 
title  of  Terrorists.  lie  afterwards  attacked  Tallien  and  the  Ther- 
midorians,  and,  on  the  establishment  of  the  Directory,  published  his 
Tribune  of  the  People,  in  which  he  displayed  the  most  extravagant  de- 
mocracy. Being  brought  before  the  minister  of  police,  BabcEuf  confessed 
himself  the  author  of  a  plan  of  insurrection,  and  showed  great  firmness, 
refusing  to  name  his  accojnplices.  He  was  condemned  to  death.  May  25, 
1797,  and,  on  learning  his  sentence,  stabbed  himself,  but  his  body  was 
nevertheless  dragged  to  the  scaffold  and  beheaded. — Biographie  Moderne. 

"  Gracchus "  Baboeuf,  who  called  himself  the  "  Tribune  of  the 
People,"  was  a  bold  man,  of  an  excited  imagination,  and  fantastically 
attached  to  an  extraordinary  kind  of  democracy.  This  man,  who 
possessed  great  power  over  his  party,  prepared  it  by  his  journal  for  the 
reign  of  what  he  called  general  happiness. — Mignet. 

BAILLY,  Jean  Sylvain,  was  one  of  the  forty  of  the  French 
Academy,  and  deputy  of  Paris  to  the  States-General.  Born  in  Paris  on 
September  15,  1736,  nature  had  endowed  him  with  all  the  talents 
which  fit  men  for  the  study  of  the  sciences,  and  the  meditations 
of  philosophy.  After  several  essays,  which  were  well  received  by  the 
public,  he  published  a  history  of  astronomy.  When  the  Revolution  broke 
out  in  1789,  the  electors  of  Paris  chose  him  as  secretary,  and  then  as 
deputy  of  the  tiers-Hat  to  the  States-General.  He  was  president  of  this 
assembly  in  its  first  session.  On  July  16th  he  was  appointed 
Mayor  of  Paris.  When,  after  the  flight  of  the  King,  the  parties  were 
divided,  and  the  more  violent  revolutionists  wished  to  seize  the  op- 
portunity of  pronouncing  the  forfeiture  of  Louis,  Bailly  opposed  the 
ferments  excited  in  Paris  in  favor  of  the  party  of  the  forfeiture.  An 
immense  crowd  having  thronged  to  the  Champ  de  Mars  to  frame  an 
address  recommending  the  forfeiture,  on  July  17,  1791,  Bailly 
caused  martial  law  to  be  proclaimed  against  this  assembly,  which  was 
dispersed  by  armed  force.  The  National  Assembly  approved  this  step, 
but  from  this  time  Bailly  perceived  that  his  credit  was  sinking.  He 
vacated  the  office  of  mayor  early  in  November,  and  then  went  over  to 
England,  whence  he  returned  shortly  after  to  Paris,  trusting  to  spend  the 
rest  of  his  days  in  retirement.  He  was,  however,  arrested  in  1793, 
and  brought  to  trial  in  November  before  the  revolutionary  tribunal, 
which  condemned  him  to  death.  On  the  day  after  the  passing  of  his 
sentence,  he  was  put  into  the  fatal  cart,  and,  while  proceeding  to 
execution,  was  loaded  with  the  insults  of  the  people.     It  was  resolved 


BIOGKAPllICAL    SKETCHES'.  437i 

that  he  should  die  on  the  Champ  de  Mars,  in  the  very  place  where  he  had 
caused  the  seditious  people  to  be  fired  on.  Here  he  fell  down  in  a 
fainting-fit.  When  he  recovered,  he  demanded,  haughtily,  that  an  end 
might  be  put  to  his  miseries.  "  Dost  thou  tremble,  Bailly  ?"  said  one 
of  his  executioners,  seeing  his  limbs,  weakened  by  age,  quiver. 
"  Friend,"  answered  he,  calmly,  "  if  I  do  tremble,  it  is  with  cold." 
After  having  been  subjected  to  every  species  of  ignominy,  he  ran  him- 
self to  the  scaffold,  which  had  been  fixed  upon  a  heap  of  dung.  He 
died  with  great  courage.  Bailly  was  tall,  his  face  long  and  serious, 
and  his  character  by  no  means  devoid  of  sensibility. — Biographic 
Moderne. 

Among  the  virtuous  members  of  the  first  Assembly,  there  was  no  one 
who  stood  higher  than  Bailly.  As  a  scholar  and  a  man  of  science,  he 
had  long  been  in  the  very  first  rank  of  celebrity ;  his  private  morals  were 
not  only  irreproachable,  but  exemplary ;  and  his  character  and  disposi- 
tion had  always  been  remarkable  for  gentleness,  moderation,  and  philan- 
thropy. His  popularity  was  at  one  time  equal  to  that  of  any  of  the 
idols  of  the  day;  and  if  it  was  gained  by  some  degree  of  culpable  in- 
dulgence and  unjustifiable  zeal,  it  was  forfeited  at  least  by  a  resolute 
opposition  to  disorder  and  a  meritorious  perseverance  in  the  discharge 
of  his  duty.  There  is  not,  perhaps,  a  name  in  the  whole  annals  of  the 
Revolution  with  which  the  praise  of  unaffected  philanthropy  may  be 
more  safely  associated. — Edinburgh  Bcvieiv. 

BARBAROUX,  Charles,  deputy  to  the  Convention,  was  born  at 
Marseilles,  March  6,  1767.  He  eml)raced  the  cause  of  the  Revolution 
with  uncommon  ardor,  and  came  to  Paris  in  .luly,  1792,  with  a  few 
hundred  Marseillais,  to  bring  about  a  revolution  against  the  court.  He 
had  a  considerable  share  in  the  insurrection  of  August  10th.  He  be- 
longed to  the  party  of  the  Girondins,  and  was  guillotined  in  Bordeaux 
in  1704. — Biograpliie  Moderne. 

Barbaroux's  ingenuous  disposition  and  ardent  patriotism  inspired  us 
with  confidence.  Discoursing  on  the  bad  situation  of  affairs,  and  of 
our  apprehensions  of  despotism  in  the  North  under  Robespierre,  we 
fonned  the  conditional  plan  of  a  republic  in  the  South.  Barbaroux 
was  one  whose  features  no  painter  would  disdain  to  copy  for  the  head 
of  an  Antinous. — Madame  Boland's  Memoirs. 

BARERE  DE  VIEUZAC,  Bertrand,  born  at  Tarbes,  September 
10,  1755;  deputy  to  States-General  in  1780;  President  of  the  National 
Assembly,  1702 ;  President  of  the  Jacobins,  July  14,  1702 ;  arrested 
March  23,  1705.    He  died  January  15,  1841. 

T  used  to  meet  Barcre  at  a  table  d'hote.  I  considered  him  of  a 
mild  and  amiable  temper.  He  was  very  well  bred,  and  seemed  to  love 
the  Revolution  from  a  sentiment  of  benevolence.  His  association  with 
Robespierre  and  the  court  which  he  paid  to  the  different  parties  he 
successively  joined,  and  afterwards  deserted,  were  less  the  effect  of  an 
evil  disposition,  than  of  a  timid  and  versatile  character,  and  the  conceit 


438  BIOGEAPIIICAL    SKETCHES. 

which  made  it  incumbent  on  him  to  appear  as  a  public  man.  His  talents 
as  an  orator  were  by  no  means  of  the  first  order.  He  was  afterwards 
surnamed  the  Anacreon  of  the  Guillotine;  but  when  I  knew  him,  he 
was  only  the  Anacreon  of  the  Revolution,  upon  which,  in  his  Point  du 
Jour,  he  wrote  some  very  amorous  strains. — Durmont. 

Barere  was  a  sort  of  Belial  in  the  Convention,  the  meanest,  yet  not 
the  least  able,  among  those  fallen  spirits,  who,  with  great  adroitness 
and  ingenuity,  as  well  as  wit  and  eloquence,  caught  opportunities  as 
they  arose,  and  was  eminently  dexterous  in  being  always  strong  upon 
the  strongest  and  safe  upon  the  safest  side. — Scott's  Life  of  Napoleon. 

Barere  was  employed  in  obscure  situations  by  ISTapoleon,  and  was 
alive  at  Brussels,  where  he  was  living  in  great  poverty  in  1831.  It  was 
one  of  his  favorite  positions  at  that  time,  that  "  the  world  could  never 
be  civilized  till  the  punishment  of  death  was  utterly  abolished,  for  no 
human  being  had  the  right  to  take  away  the  life  of  another."  This  was 
the  man  who  said  in  1792,  "  The  tree  of  liberty  cannot  flourish,  if 
it  is  not  watered  by  the  blood  of  a  king." — Falkners  Travels  in  Ger- 
many. 

Barere  escaped  during  the  different  ebullitions  of  the  Revolution,  be- 
cause he  was  a  man  without  principle  or  character,  who  changed  and 
adapted  himself  to  every  side.  He  had  the  reputation  of  being  a  man 
of  talent,  but  I  did  not  find  him  so.  I  employed  him  to  write,  but  he 
displayed  no  ability.  He  used  many  flowers  of  rhetoric,  but  no  solid 
argument. — Napoleon  s  Conversations  ivith  O'Meara. 

BARNAVE,  Antoine  Pierre  Joseph  Marie,  born  at  Grenoble  in 
1Y61,  was  a  barrister  and  deputy  to  the  States-General.  The  son  of  a 
very  rich  attorney,  he  warmly  espoused  the  revolutionary  party,  and  was 
named  by  the  tiers-etat  deputy  of  that  town  to  the  States-General.  He 
there  showed  himself  from  the  beginning  one  of  the  most  implacable 
enemies  of  the  court.  He  warmly  supported  the  Tennis-court  oath,  and 
declared  loudly  in  favor  of  the  assertion  of  the  rights  of  man.  In  1790 
he  voted  the  abolition  of  religious  orders.  At  the  meeting  of  May 
2 2d  he  was  one  of  those  who  were  decidedly  of  opinion  that  the  king 
should  be  deprived  of  the  right  of  making  war  and  peace,  and  opposed 
Mirabeau  on  many  great  questions  of  policy.  At  the  sitting  of  June 
19th  he  demanded  that  the  Assembly  should,  before  it  rose,  decree  the 
suppression  of  all  feudal  titles  and  rights.  In  August  he  fought  a  duel 
with  M.  de  Oazales,  and  wounded  him  with  a  pistol-shot.  Barnave  had 
before  fought  with  the  Viscount  de  Noailles ;  he  had  fired  first,  and 
missed  his  adversary,  who  discharged  his  pistol  in  the  air;  the  difference 
was  then  adjusted  by  their  friends.  At  the  time  of  Louis  XVI.'s  flight, 
Barnave  showed  great  presence  of  mind  in  the  midst  of  the  stupefaction 
of  the  greatest  part  of  the  Assembly.  On  the  news  arriving  of  the  king's 
arrest,  Barnave  was  appointed,  together  with  Petion  and  Latour-Mau- 
bourg,  to  bring  the  royal  family  back  to  Paris.  In  giving  an  account 
of  his  mission,  he  spoke  about  the  inviolability  of  the  king's  person,  for 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  439 

which  he  was  hooted  by  the  Assembly.  At  the  end  of  the  session  Barnave 
was  appointed  mayor  of  Grenoble,  where  he  married  the  only  danghter 
of  a  lawyer,  who  brought  him  a  fortune  of  700,000  livres.  After  the 
events  of  August  10,  17i)2,  certain  documents  having  established 
the  connivance  of  Barnave  with  the  court,  he  was  brought  before  the 
revolutionary  tribunal  of  Paris  and  condemned  to  death,  Novem- 
ber 29,  1793.  Barnave  was  a  small  but  well-looking  man,  and 
professed  Protestantism.  Few  orators  of  his  day  possessed  so  much 
grace  of  diction  and  sagacity  of  analj^sis.  Mirabeau  himself  was  aston- 
ished that  a  young  man  should  speak  so  long,  so  rapidly,  and  so  elo- 
quently, and  said  of  him,  "  It  is  a  young  tree,  which,  however,  will 
mount  high,  if  it  be  let  to  grow." — Biographie  Moderne. 

BAERAS,  Paul  Jean  Francois  Nicolas,  Comte  de,  was  born  at 
Foix,  in  Provence,  June  30,  1755,  of  the  family  of  Barras,  whose 
antiquity  in  that  quarter  had  become  a  proverb.  He  died  in  retirement 
in  the  3'ear  1829.  At  the  Revolution  he  was  deputed  to  the  Convention, 
but  had  no  talent  for  oratory  and  no  habits  of  business.  On  his  return 
to  Paris,  after  having  been  appointed  commissioner  to  the  army  of  Italy 
and  to  Provence,  he  helped  to  oppose  Robespierre,  marched  against  the 
commune  which  had  risen  in  favor  of  the  tyrant,  and  succeeded.  Subse- 
quent events  brought  him  into  the  Directory.  He  did  not  possess  the 
qualiiicacions  required  to  fill  that  situation,  but  he  acted  better  than 
was  exjwcted  from  him  by  those  who  knew  him.  When  he  went  out  of 
the  -Directory  he  had  still  a  large  fortune,  and  did  not  attempt  to  con- 
ceal it ;  but  the  manner  in  which  it  had  been  acquired,  by  favoring  the 
contractors,  impaired  the  morality  of  the  nation.  Barras  was  tall ;  he 
spoke  sometimes  in  moments  of  agitation,  and  his  voice  filled  the  house. 
His  intellectual  capacity,  however,  did  not  allow  him  to  go  beyond  a  few 
ircntcnces.  He  was  not  a  man  of  resolution,  and  had  no  opinion  of  his 
own  on  any  part  of  the  administration  of  public  affairs. — Las  Cases. 

Barras  had  formerly  served  in  India,  and  had  there  displayed  the 
courage  of  a  soldier.  He  was  a  fit  man  to  mount  his  horse  on  occasion 
of  disturbances ;  and  it  was  in  this  manner,  as  we  have  seen,  that  he  had 
earned  his  place  in  the  Directory.  Hence,  on  all  difficult  occasions,  he 
would  still  talk  of  mounting  his  horse  and  putting  to  the  sword  the 
enemies  of  the  republic.  In  person  he  was  tall  and  handsome ;  but  in 
his  countenance  there  M-as  something  dark  and  sinister,  that  harmonized 
little  with  his  disposition,  which  was  rather  passionate  than  wicked. 
Though  he  belonged  by  birth  to  the  higher  ranks,  his  manners  indicated 
no  superiority  of  breeding.  They  were  blunt,  bold,  and  vulgar.  He  was 
endowed  with  a  soimdness  and  a  penetration  of  mind  which,  with  study 
and  application,  might  have  become  highly  distinguished  faculties ;  but, 
indolent  and  ignorant,  he  knew  at  most  only  what  is  learned  in  a  stormy 
life,  and  in  those  matters  upon  which  he  was  daily  called  to  give  his 
opinion  he  manifested  good  sense  enough  to  induce  regret  that  he  should 
not  have  had  a  more  careful   education.      In   other  respects,  dissolute 


440  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

and  rough,  violent  and  false  like  the  Southerns,  who  are  apt  to  conceal 
duplicity  under  the  guise  of  bluntness,  republican  by  sentiment  and  by 
position,  but  a  man  without  faith,  admitting  to  his  house  the  most  violent 
revolutionists  of  the  faubourgs  and  all  the  emigrants  wdio  had  returned 
to  France,  pleasing  the  one  by  his  trivial  vehemence,  and  the  other  by 
his  spirit  of  intrigue,  he  was  in  reality  a  warm  patriot,  and  in  secret 
he  held  out  hopes  to  all  parties.  In  himself  alone  he  was  the  entire 
Danton  party,  excepting  the  genius  of  its  chief,  which  had  not  devolved 
on  his  successors. — Thiers'  Fr'ench  Revolution. 

BAETHELEMY,  Fkancois,  Makquis  de,  born  at  Aubagne  in  1750, 
nephew  of  the  celebrated  author  of  the  Travels  of  Anacliarsis,  was  brought 
up  under  the  direction  of  his  uncle,  and  at  the  commencement  of  the 
Eevolution  was  sent  as  ambassador  to  England,  to  notify  the  court 
that  Louis  XVI.  had  accepted  the  constitution.  In  1791  he  went  to 
Switzerland  in  the  same  character;  in  1795  he  negotiated  and  signed 
a  peace  with  Prussia,  and  in  the  same  year  a  similar  treaty  with 
Spain.  In  1797  he  was  elected  into  the  Directory,  but  was  involved 
in  the  downfall  of  the  Clichyan  party.  After  the  Revolution  of 
the  18th  Brumaire,  Barthelemy  became  a  member  of  the  conservative 
senate,  and  was  soon  afterwards  called  to  the  Institute. — Biographie 
Moderne. 

BEAUHAE:N'AIS,  Alexander,  Vicomte  de,  born  in  1760,  at  Marti- 
nique, served  with  distinction  as  Major  in  the  French  forces  under 
Rochambeau,  which  aided  the  United  States  in  the  revolutionary  war. 
He  married  Josephine  Tascher  de  la  Pagerie,  who  was  afterwards  the 
wife  of  Bonaparte.  At  the  breaking-out  of  the  French  Revolution,  he 
was  chosen  a  member  of  the  ISTational  Assembly,  of  which  he  was  for 
some  time  president.  In  1793  he  was  general  of  the  army  of  the  Rhine, 
and  was  afterwards  minister  of  war.  In  consequence  of  the  decree  re- 
moving men  of  noble  l)irth  from  the  army,  he  retired  to  his  country- 
seat.  Having  been  falsely  accused  of  promoting  the  surrender  of  Mentz, 
he  was  sentenced  to  death  in  1794,  in  the  thirty-fourth  year  of  his  age. — 
Encyclopcedia  Americana. 

BEAUHARI^AIS,  EuCxEne  de,  born  September  3,  1780.  After  his 
mother's  marriage  in  1796  with  Napoleon,  he  accompanied  him  to  Italy 
and  Egypt.  He  rapidly  rose  to  the  highest  military  rank,  and  in  1805 
was  made  a  prince  of  France  and  viceroy  of  Italy.  In  1806  he  married 
the  Princess  Amelia  Augusta  of  Bavaria  (1788-1851),  and  in  1807 
was  created  Prince  of  Venice,  and  declared  by  N'apoleon  his  adopted  son, 
and  heir  of  the  kingdom  of  Italy.  Wise,  honorable,  and  virtuous,  he 
showed  great  military  talent  in  the  Italian  campaigns,  in  the  wars 
against  Austria,  and  in  the  retreat  from  Moscow.  In  the  Hundred  Days 
he  took  no  part ;  and  he  was  allowed  to  retain  his  possessions  in  the 
March  of  Ancona,  large  sums  being  granted  him  in  compensation  for 
his  other  Italian  possessions,  with  which  he  purchased  the  landgraviate 
of  Leuchtenburg  and  principality  of  Eichstadt,  as  Duke  of  Leuchten- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  443 

burg,  taking  his  place  among  the  nobles  of  Bavaria.  He  died  at  Munich, 
February  21,  1824. 

Eugene  Beauharnais  was  not  more  than  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  of 
age  when  he  ventured  to  introduce  himself  to  Bonaparte,  for  the  purpose 
of  soliciting  hi  father's  sword,  of  which  he  understood  the  general  had 
become  possessed.  The  countenance  and  frank  air  of  Eugene  pleased 
Napoleon,  and  he  immediately  granted  him  the  boon  he  sought.  As 
soon  as  the  sword  was  placed  in  the  boy's  hands  he  burst  into  tears,  and 
kissed  it.  This  feeling  of  affection  for  his  father's  memory  increased 
Bonaparte's  interest  in  his  young  visitor.  His  mother,  Josephine,  on 
learning  the  kind  reception  which  the  general  had  given  her  son,  thought 
it  her  duty  to  call  and  thank  him.  Napoleon  returned  her  visit,  and  the 
acquaintance  thus  commenced,  speedily  led  to  their  marriage. — Memoirs 
of  Constant. 

BERNADOTTE,  Jean  Baptiste  Jules,  was  born  at  Pan,  January 
26,  1764.  His  father  was  a  lawyer.  In  1780  the  son  entered  the  mili- 
tary profession,  and  was  still  a  sergeant  in  1789.  When  the  Revolution 
broke  out,  he  embraced  its  principles  with  enthusiasm,  and  obtained 
quick  promotion  in  the  army.  In  1794  he  was  general  of  division  at  the 
battle  of  Eleurus;  and  in  1796  he  served  in  Jourdan's  army.  He  after- 
wards led  reinforcements  to  tliQ  army  of  Italy,  and  shortly  before  the 
18th  Fructidor,  Bonaparte  chose  him  to  carry  to  the  Directory  the 
banners  taken  at  the  battle  of  Rivoli.  After  the  treaty  of  Campo 
Formio,  Bernadotte  was  appointed  ambassador  of  the  French  republic 
to  the  court  of  Vienna.  He  was  next  placed  in  the  ministry  of  war,  but, 
being  speedily  removed  from  office,  retired  into  private  life  till  the 
18th  Brumaire,  when  Napoleon  called  him  to  the  council  of  state.  In 
1804,  on  the  establishment  of  the  Empire,  Bernadotte  was  created  a 
marshal.  He  greatly  distinguished  himself  at  the  battle  of  Austerlitz, 
and,  in  the  same  year,  the  Emperor  created  him  Prince  of  Ponte-Corvo. 
From  the  close  of  1807  to  1809  he  commanded  the  French  army  which 
remained  in  the  north  of  Germany.  At  the  battle  of  Wagram  he  led 
the  Saxon  allies,  who  fought  with  great  skill  and  bravery.  In  conse- 
quence, however,  of  an  altercation  with  the  Emperor,  he  quitted  the 
service,  and  went  to  Paris.  In  1810  he  was  appointed  successor  to  the 
Swedish  throne,  by  the  name  of  Charles  John.  In  1813  he  issued  a 
formal  declaration  of  war  against  Napoleon,  placed  himself  at  the  head 
of  the  Swedish  army  in  Germany,  and  contributed  greatly  to  the  victory 
of  the  allies  at  Leipsic.  In  the  following  year  he  obtained  the  cession 
of  Norway  to  Sweden.  In  1818  he  succeeded  to  the  throne  by  the  title 
of  Charles  XIV. — Enci/rJnpcpdia  Americanfi. 

Bernadotte,  said  Napoleon,  was  ungrateful  to  me,  as  I  was  the 
author  of  his  greatness ;  but  I  cannot  say  that  he  betrayed  me ;  he  in  a 
manner  became  a  Swede,  and  never  promised  that  which  he  did  not  in- 
tend to  perform.  I  can  accuse  him  of  ingratitude,  but  not  of  treachery. 
Neither  Murat  nor  he  would  have  declared  against  me,  had  they  thought 


444  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

it  would  have  lost  me  my  throne.  Their  wish  was,  to  diminish  my 
power,  but  not  to  destroy  me  altogether.  Bernadotte  is  a  Gascon,  a  little 
inclined  to  boasting. — A  Voice  from  St.  Helena. 

BERTHIER,  Louis  Alexandek,  Prince  of  ISTeufchatel  and  Wagram, 
marshal,  vice-constable  of  France,  was  born  at  Versailles,  November  20, 
1753.  He  was  the  son  of  a  distinguished  officer,  and  was,  while  yet 
young,  employed  in  the  general  staff,  and  fought  with  Lafayette  for  the 
liberty  of  the  United  States.  In  1791  he  was  appointed  chief  of  the 
general  staff  in  Luckner's  army,  marched  against  La  Vendee  in  1793, 
and  joined  the  army  of  Italy  in  1796.  In  the  year  1798  he  received 
the  chief  command  of  the  army  of  Italy,  and  afterwards,  being  much 
attached  to  Bonaparte,  followed  him  to  Egypt,  who,  on  his  return  to 
Paris,  appointed  him  minister  of  war.  Having,  in  1806,  accompanied 
the  Emperor  in  his  campaign  against  Prussia,  he  signed  the  armistice 
of  Tilsit  in  1807.  Being  apj)ointed  vice-constable  of  France,  he  mar- 
ried in  1808,  the  daughter  of  Duke  William  of  Bavaria-Birkenf eld ; 
and,  having  distinguished  himself  at  Wagram,  in  1809,  he  received  the 
title  of  Prince  of  Wagram.  In  the  following  year,  as  proxy  for  ISTa- 
poleon,  he  received  the  hand  of  Maria  Louisa,  daughter  of  the  Emperor 
of  Austria,  and  accompanied  her  to  France.  In  1812  he  accompanied 
the  French  army  to  Russia.  After  Bonaparte's  abdication  he  obtained 
tlie  confidence  of  Louis  XVIIL,  whom,  on  the  Emperor's  return,  he 
accompanied  to  the  l^etherlands,  whence  he  repaired  to  his  family  at 
Bamberg.  On  his  arrival  at  this  place  he  was  observed  to  be  sunk  in 
profound  melancholy,  and  when  the  music  of  the  Russian  troops,  on 
their  march  to  the  French  l)orders,  was  heard  at  the  gates  of  the  city, 
he  put  an  end  to  his  life  by  throwing  liimself  from  a  window  of  the 
third  story  of  his  palace. — Encydopcedia  Americana. 

Berthier  was  small  and  ill-shaped,  without  being  actually  deformed; 
liis  head  was  too  large  for  his  body;  his  hair,  neither  light  nor  dark, 
was  rather  frizzed  than  curled ;  his  forehead,  eyes,  nose,  and  chin,  each 
in  the  proper  place,  were,  however,  by  no  means  handsome  in  the 
aggregate.  His  hands,  naturally  ugly,  became  frightful  by  a  habit  of 
biting  his  nails :  add  to  this,  that  he  stammered  much  in  speaking ;  and 
that  if  he  did  not  make  grimaces,  the  agitation  of  his  features  was  so 
rapid  as  to  occasion  some  amusement  to  those  who  did  not  take  a  direct 
interest  in  his  dignity.  I  must  add,  that  he  was  an  excellent  man,  ^vith  a 
thousand  good  qualities,  neutralized  by  weakness.  Berthier  was  good  in 
every  acceptation  of  the  word. — Duchess  d'Ahrantes. 

BESSIERES,  Jean  Baptihte,  Duke  of  Istria^  was  born  at  Preissac, 
August  6,  1768.  His  family  was  of  humble  origin.  At  an  early  age  he 
obtained  admission  into  the  Guard  of  Louis  XVL,  and  on  the  dissolution 
of  that  body  was  attached  to  the  legion  of  the  Pyrenees.  In  1796  he 
joined  the  army  of  Italy,  and  was  noticed  for  his  bravery  by  Bonaparte, 
who  intrusted  him  with  the  command  of  his  guides,  a  corps  which  by 
successive  augmentations  became  in  the  sequel  the   famous   Imperial 


BIOGKAnilCAL    SKETCHES.  445 

Guard,  of  which  Bessicres  retained  the  command  till  his  death.  He 
fought  at  Jena,  Friedland,  and  Eylau,  exhibiting  both  valor  and  pru- 
dence. He  then  went  to  Spain,  and  defeated  Cuesta  in  a  pitched  battle, 
which  opened  the  way  for  the  French  to  Madrid.  At  Wagram  he  led 
the  French  horse  against  the  Austrian  flank,  and  in  1812  went  through 
the  Russian  campaign  with  honor.  The  opening  of  the  next  saw  him 
in  the  place  of  Murat — at  the  head  of  the  cavalry  of  the  whole  army. 
He  was  killed  in  the  evening  before  the  battle  of  Lutzen  while  forcing  a 
defile.  Marshal  Bessieres  was  an  excellent  soldier  and  a  good  man,  and 
did  all  in  his  power  to  mitigate  the  horrors  of  war. — Court  and  Camp 
of  Bonaparte. 

Bessieres,  Duke  of  Istria,  always  continued  good,  humane,  and 
generous;  of  antique  loyalty  and  integrity;  and,  whether  considered 
as  a  citizen  or  a  soldier,  an  honest,  worthy  man.  He  often  made  use  of 
the  high  favor  in  which  he  stood  to  do  extraordinary  acts  of  kindness, 
even  to  people  of  very  different  ways  of  thinking  from  himself.  He 
was  adored  by  the  guards,  in  the  midst  of  whom  he  passed  his  life.  At 
the  battle  of  Wagram,  a  ball  struck  him  off  his  horse,  without  doing  him- 
any  further  injury.  A  mournful  cry  arose  from  the  whole  battalion, 
upon  which  iSTapoleon  remarked,  the  next  time  he  saw  him,  "  Bessieres, 
the  ball  which  struck  you  drew  tears  from  all  my  guard.  Return  thanks 
to  it.  It  ought  to  be  very  dear  to  you."  After  living  like  Bayard,  Bes- 
sieres died  like  Turenne.  He  was  sincerely  attached  to  the  Emperor. 
Indeed,  he  almost  worshipped  him ;  and  would  certainly  never  have 
abandoned  his  person  or  his  fortunes. — Las  Cases. 

BILLAUD-VARET^NES,  Jacques  Nicolas,  was  born  at  Rochelle, 
which  place  he  quitted  several  years  before  the  Revolution,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-three,  from  vexation  that  the  people  there  had  hissed  a  the- 
atrical piece  of  his  composition.  He  then  went  to  Paris,  where  he  got 
himself  admitted  a  barrister,  and  married  a  natural  daughter  of  M.  de 
Verdun,  the  only  one  of  the  farmers-general  who  was  not  guillotined. 
In  1792,  he  was  substitute  for  the  attorney  of  the  commune  of  Paris, 
and  became  one  of  the  directors  of  the  September  massacres.  In  1795, 
he  was  sentenced  to  banishment  to  Guiana,  where  he  was  looked  upon 
by  the  people  as  little  better  than  a  wild  beast.  His  principal  occupa- 
tion, during  his  exile,  was  breeding  parrots.  Billaud-Varennes  was 
the  author  of  many  dull  pamplilets. — Biograpliie  Moderne. 

Of  all  the  sanguinary  monsters,  observed  Xapoleon,  who  reigned  in 
the  Revolution,  Billaud  de  Varennes  was  the  worst. — A  Voice  from  St. 
Helena. 

Billaud-Varennes  was  the  most  formidable  of  Robespierre's  antago- 
nists. Both  were  ambitious  of  reigning  over  the  ruins  and  the  tombs 
with  which  they  had  covered  France.  But  Robespierre  had  reached  the 
point  where  his  ambition  could  no  longer  be  concealed.  Billaud  was 
still  able  to  dissemble  his.  The  tyrant  was  as  lugubrious  as  death,  which 
ever  attended  him  in  all  his  steps ;  such,  and  perhaps  more  gloomy  still, 

Vol.  II.— L 


446  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

was  Billaud ;  but  he  enveloped  his  projects  in  deeper  obscurity,  and  pre- 
pared his  blows  with  greater  art. — Lacretelle. 

After  Billaud-Varennes  reached  his  place  of  transportation  at  Cay- 
enne, his  life  was  a  continued  scene  of  romantic  adventures.  He 
escaped  to  Mexico,  and  entered,  under  the  name  of  Polycarpus  Varennes, 
the  Dominican  convent  at  Porto  Rico.  Being  obliged  to  fly  the  continent 
for  the  part  he  took  in  the  disputes  between  the  Spanish  colonies  and  the 
mother-country,  Pethion,  then  president  of  Hayti,  not  only  afforded 
him  an  asylum,  but  made  him  his  secretary.  After  Pethion's  death, 
Boyer  refusing  to  employ  him,  he  went  to  the  United  States,  and  died 
at  Philadelphia  in  1819. — Universal  Biographie. 

BOISTAPARTE,  Joseph,  eldest  brother  of  ITapoleon,  was  born  in 
Corsica,  January  7,  1768  ;  studied  for  the  bar  at  Marseilles,  and  in  1800, 
after  he  had  filled  several  offices  of  state,  was  chosen  by  the  First  Consul 
as  plenipotentiary  to  the  United  States.  He  signed  the  treaty  of  Lune- 
ville  1801,  and  that  of  Amiens  1802 ;  and  assisted  in  the  concordat 
negotiations.  After  the  coronation  of  ISTapoleon,  Joseph  was  made  com- 
mander-in-chief of  the  army  of  I^aples ;  in  1805,  ruler  of  the  Two 
Sicilies;  and  in  1806,  king  of  Naples.  A  humane  and  accomplished 
man,  but  an  ineffective  ruler,  in  1808  he  was  summarily  transferred  by 
his  brother  to  the  throne  of  Spain,  but  found  himself  unprepared  to  cope 
with  the  Spanish  insurgents,  and  after  the  defeat  of  the  French  at  Vit- 
toria  in  1813  returned  to  his  estate  at  Morfontaine.  After  Waterloo  he 
accompanied  I^apoleon  to  Rochefort,  and,  himself  taking  ship  to  Amer- 
ica, became  an  American  citizen,  lived  for  some  years  at  Bordentown, 
in  ISTew  Jersey,  U.  S.,  where  he  employed  himself  in  agriculture,  but 
in  1832  returned  to  Europe,  and  died  at  Florence  in  1844. 

You  would  seldom  see  a  better  countenance  than  that  of  Joseph  Bona- 
parte. With  masculine  strength  and  expression,  it  combines  a  mild, 
intelligent  smile.  Joseph  is  well  read,  not  only  in  our  literature,  but  in 
that  of  Italy  and  England.  He  loves  poetry  and  the  belles-lettres,  and 
takes  pleasure  in  surrounding  himself  with  learned  and  scientific  men. 
It  has  been  said  that  his  character  is  weak  and  false.  He  has  goodness 
of  heart,  gentleness,  clemency,  and  accuracy  of  judgment.  His  conduct, 
during  his  unfortunate  reign  in  Spain,  was,  on  the  whole,  admirable. 
He  left  France  with  great  regret,  and  entreated  his  brother  not  to  force 
a  crown  on  him. — Duchess  d' Ahr antes. 

BONAPARTE,  Lucien,  Prince  of  Canino,  a  younger  brother  of 
Napoleon,  was  born  at  Ajaccio,  in  1775,  and  was  educated  at  Autun, 
Brienne,  and  Aix.  In  1798  he  was  made  a  member  of  the  Council  of 
Five  Hundred,  and  just  before  the  18th  Brumaire  he  was  elected  its 
president.  He  was  successful  as  Minister  of  the  Interior;  and  as  am- 
bassador to  Madrid  (1800)  undermined  British  influences.  On  condi- 
tion that  he  would  divorce  his  second  wife  (the  widow  of  a  stockbroker), 
the  crowns  of  Italy  and  Spain  were  offered  him ;  but  he  refused  them,  and 
lived  on  his  estate  of  Canino,  in  the  States  of  the  Church,  being  created 


BIOGKAPllICAL    SKETCHES.  447 

by  the  pope  Prince  of  Canino.  He  had  never  wholly  shaken  off  his  early 
strong  republicanism;  and  having  denounced  the  arrogant  policy  of  his 
brother  towards  the  court  of  Rome,  he  was  "  advised  "  to  leave  Roman 
territory,  and  in  IS  10  took  ship  for  America,  but  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  English,  and  was  kept  in  honorable  captivity  at  Ludlow  and  Thorn- 
grove,  Worcestershire,  till  1S14.  After  Waterloo  he  advised  his  brother 
to  assume  the  place  of  absolute  dictator.  After  the  second  restoration 
Lucien  lived  in  and  near  Rome,  occupied  with  science  and  art,  and  died 
at  Viterbo  in  1840. 

Lucien  Bonaparte,  in  the  year  1797,  was  about  twenty-two  years  of 
age;  he  was  tall,  ill-shaped,  having  limbs  like  those  of  the  field-spider, 
and  a  small  liead,  which,  with  his  tall  stature,  would  have  made  him 
unlike  his  brothers,  had  not  his  physiognomy  attested  their  common 
parentage.  He  was  very  near-sighted,  which  made  him  half-shut  his 
eyes  and  stoop  his  head.  This  defect  would,  therefore,  have  given  him 
an  unpleasing  air,  if  his  smile,  always  in  harmony  with  his  features, 
had  not  imparted  something  agreeable  to  his  countenance.  Thus,  though 
he  was  rather  plain,  he  pleased  generally.  He  had  very  remarkable 
success  with  women  who  were  themselves  very  remarkable,  and  that  long 
before  his  brother  arrived  at  power.  With  respect  to  understanding  and 
talent,  Lucien  always  displayed  abundance  of  both.  In  early  youth, 
when  he  met  with  a  subject  he  liked,  he  identified  himself  with  it.  He 
lived  at  that  time  in  an  ideal  world.  Thus  at  eighteen,  the  perusal  of 
Plutarch  carried  him  into  the  Forum  and  the  Pyrseus,  He  was  a  Greek 
with  Demosthenes,  a  Roman  with  Cicero;  he  espoused  all  the  ancient 
glories,  but  he  was  intoxicated  with  those  of  our  own  time.  Those  who, 
because  they  had  no  conception  of  this  enthusiasm,  alleged  that  he  was 
jealous  of  his  brother,  have  asserted  a  wilful  falsehood,  if  they  have  not 
fallen  into  a  most  egregious  error. — Duchess  d'Ahrantes. 

BOL^ILLE,  The  Marquis  de,  was  a  gentleman  of  Auvergne,  and  a 
relative  of  Lafayette's.  After  having  served  in  the  dragoons,  he  be- 
came colonel  of  the  regiment  of  Vexin  infantry.  Having  attained  the 
rank  of  major-general,  the  King  appointed  him  Governor-general  of  the 
Windward  Islands.  In  1778  he  took  Dominica,  St.  Eustatia,  and  soon 
after  St.  Christopher's,  Nevis,  and  Montserrat.  On  his  return  he  was 
made  lieutenant-general.  In  1789  he  brought  back  to  its  duty  the  re- 
volted garrison  of  Metz.  On  the  5th  of  September,  in  the  same  year, 
Gregoire  complained  to  the  Assembly,  that  M.  de  Bouille  had  not  ad- 
ministered the  civic  oath  individually,  and  obtained  a  decree  that  he 
should  be  obliged  to  do  it.  In  1790  he  was  commissioned  to  bring  under 
subjection  the  garrison  of  Nancy.  He  advanced  upon  the  town  with 
four  thousand  men,  and  succeeded  in  this  enterprise,  in  which  he  showed 
much  bravery,  and  which  at  first  gained  him  great  praises  from  the 
National  Assembly,  and  afterwards  as  many  reproaches.  Being  chosen 
by  the  King  to  facilitate  his  escape  from  Paris  in  June,  1791,  Bouille 
marched  at  the  head  of  a  body  of  troops  to  protect  the  passage  of  the 


448  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCKES. 

rojal  family;  but,  by  false  advices  or  ill-executed  orders,  tbis  enterprise 
failed,  and  M.  de  Bouille  bad  great  difficulty  in  leaving  France.  From 
Luxembourg  be  wrote  to  tbe  Assembly  a  letter  full  of  tbreats,  and  con- 
cluded by  saying,  tbat  if  a  bair  of  Louis  XVI.'s  bead  w^as  toucbed,  be 
would  not  leave  one  stone  on  anotber  in  Paris.  On  tbe  13tb  of  July  tbe 
Assembly  decreed  tbat  be  sbould  be  tried  for  contumacy,  and  tbat  tbe 
papers  relative  to  tbe  King's  escape  sbould  be  sent  to  tbe  bigb  court 
of  tbe  nation.  Bouille  passed  to  tbe  court  of  Sweden,  wbicb  gave  bim 
emplojTQent,  and  in  tbe  name  of  wbicb  be  promised  powerful  assistance 
to  tbe  Frencb  princes.  He  died  in  London  in  1803. — BiograpJiie 
Mode  me. 

BEISSOT  DE  WAKVILLE,  Jean  Pieree,  was  born  January  14, 
1754,  at  a  village  near  Cbartres.  His  fatber  kept  a  cook's  sbop,  wbicb 
occasioned  tbe  saying  tbat  tbe  son  bad  all  the  beat  of  bis  father's  stoves. 
After  passing  four  years  in  an  attorney's  office,  be  turned  author,  and,  at 
twenty  years  of  age,  bad  already  published  several  works,  one  of  wbicb 
occasioned  bis  imprisonment  in  tbe  Bastille  in  1784.  He  married  a  per- 
son attached  to  the  household  of  Madame  d' Orleans,  and  afterwards  went 
to  England.  He  lived  there  on  pay  as  a  spy  from  tbe  lieutenant  of  police 
at  Paris.  At  the  same  time  be  employed  himself  in  literature,  and  en- 
deavored to  form  an  academy  in  London ;  but,  this  speculation  proving 
unsuccessful,  be  returned  to  France,  and  distinguished  himself  greatly 
during  tbe  Revolution.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Commune, 
Paris,  in  July  1789,  and  in  connection  with  Laclos  drew  up  the  petition 
of  tbe  Champ  de  Mars  in  1791.  He  was  elected  a  deputy  to  tbe  Legisla- 
tive Assembly  in  October,  1791,  and  to  the  Convention  in  September, 
1792.  At  tbe  time  of  the  trial  of  Louis  XVI.  be  strove  to  bring  the 
subject  of  bis  condemnation  before  the  people,  and  afterwards  voted 
for  bis  death,  though  be  was  anxious  to  obtain  a  reprieve.  Being  de- 
nounced, together  with  the  rest  of  the  Girondins,  by  the  Jacobins,  be 
was  guillotined,  October  31,  1793.  Brissot  was  thirty-nine  years  of  age, 
of  middle  stature,  slightly  formed,  and  pale.  He  was  so  passionate  an 
admirer  of  the  Americans,  that  he  adopted  the  appearance  of  a  Quaker, 
and  was  pleased  to  be  mistaken  for  one. — Biographie  Moderne. 

Tbe  following  is  the  opinion  entertained  of  Brissot  by  Lafayette,  who 
knew  bim  well :  "  It  is  impossible  not  to  be  struck  with  various  con- 
trasts in  tbe  life  of  Brissot:  a  clever  man,  undoubtedly,  and  a  skilful 
journalist,  but  whose  talents  and  influence  have  been  greatly  overrated 
both  by  friends  and  enemies.  In  other  times,  before  be  became  a  repub- 
lican, be  bad  made  tbe  old  regime  a  subject  of  eulogy.  It  seems  pretty 
well  proved  tbat,  a  few  days  before  tbe  lOtb  of  August,  be,  and  some 
agitators  of  bis  party,  had  been  intriguing  with  tbe  valets-de-cbambre  of 
tbe  Tuileries ;  even  after  tbis  insurrection,  their  only  desire  was  to  govern 
m  tbe  name  of  tbe  prince  royal.  Brissot,  on  tbe  very  eve  of  denouncing 
Lafayette,  told  tbe  Abbe  Duvernet,  then  member  of  the  society  of 
Jaeobins,  tbat  tbe  person  be  was  going  to  accuse,  was  tbe  man  of  all 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  451 

others  whom  he  esteemed  ^d  revered  the  most.  Even  while  meditating 
the  massacres  of  September,  he  saved  all  who  came  to  him;  and,  of  his 
own  accord,  discharged  from  prison  Duport,  Barnave,  and  Charles  La- 
meth,  who  were  in  some  measure  his  personal  antagonists." — Mignet. 

BRUNE,  GuiLLAUME  MAiiiE  Anne,  born  May  13,  1763,  like  all 
natives  of  the  South,  was  ardent,  active,  fond  of  literature,  poetry,  and 
the  tine  arts;  he  possessed  much  information,  and  betook  himself  to 
composition.  Brune  was  young;  his  head  and  heart  confessed  but  one 
idea — glory  and  his  country.  He  soon  cast  away  pen,  ink,  and  paper, 
and  took  to  the  sword.  None  of  our  marshals  have  been  so  falsely  repre- 
sented in  public  opinion  as  Brune.  He  was  not  in  Paris  in  the  autumn 
of  1792,  but  at  Radmack;  so,  of  course,  could  have  had  no  share  in  the 
September  massacres.  He  advanced  rapidly  to  an  elevated  rank  in  the 
army;  distinguished  himself  in  the  campaign  of  Italy;  was  aftrwards 
named  general-in-chief  of  the  army  in  Helvetia.  On  the  establishment 
of  the  Consulate,  Brune  was  appointed  to  the  army  of  Italy,  when,  with 
the  assistance  of  Suchet  and  Davoust,  he  nearly  destroyed  the  Austrian 
army.  In  1804,  he  was  one  of  tlic  sixteen  marshals  whom  Bonaparte  ap- 
pointed when  he  ascended  the  imperial  throne.  He  was  afterwards,  for 
many  years,  in  disgrace;  but  on  Napoleon's  return  in  1815,  he  accepted 
the  command  of  the  eiglith  military  division.  On  the  restoration  of 
Louis,  Brune  went  to  Toulon,  to  restore  the  white  flag  there ;  after  which 
he  was  summoned  to  Paris.  On  his  way  thither,  at  Avignon,  he  was 
warned  that  much  agitation  prevailed  in  the  town,  particularly  directed 
against  him,  but  turning  a  deaf  ear  to  all  remonstrance,  he  commanded 
his  postilions  to  drive  to  the  post-house.  Here  an  armed  mob,  calling 
themselves  royalists,  besieged  him  in  a  room;  the  mayor  and  a  few 
gendarmes  succeeded  in  protecting  him  for  some  time,  while  three 
thousand  citizens  looked  on  with  apathy.  All  resistance,  however,  was  at 
length  overpowered,  and,  under  tlie  pretext  that  Brune  had  been  the 
murderer  of  the  Princess  Lamballe,  he  was  put  to  death  by  the  mob; 
his  lacerated  corpse,  after  being  dragged  through  the  mud,  was  thrown 
into  the  Rhone,  and  the  river  refusing  to  retain  it,  it  lay  two-  days  un- 
buried  on  the  strand. — Duchess  d'Ahrantes. 

BUZOT,  Francois  Nicol.xs  Leonard,  was  born  at  Evreux,  Septem- 
ber 23,  1760,  and  was  an  advocate  in  that  city  at  the  time  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, which  he  embraced  with  ardor.  In  1792  he  was  deputed  by  the 
Eure  to  the  National  Assembly.  At  the  time  of  the  King's  trial  he  voted 
for  his  death,  though  not  for  his  immediate  execution,  and  he  was  even 
one  of  those  who  most  warmly  solicited  a  reprieve  for  him.  In  the 
March  following,  he  more  than  once  gave  warning  of  the  despotism  of 
the  mob  of  Paris,  and  ended  one  of  his  speeches  by  tlireatcning  that  city 
with  the  sight  of  the  grass  growing  in  the  streets  if  confusion  should 
reign  there  much  longer.  In  April  he  contended  against  the  Jacobins, 
who,  ho  said,  were  influenced  by  men  of  blood.  Having  been  denounced 
as  a  Girondin,  he  made  his  escape  from  Paris,  and  after  wandering 


452  BIOGRAPUICAL    SKETCHES. 

about  some  time,  was  found,  together  with  Petion,  dead  in  a  field,  and 
half-eaten  bj  wolves. — Biographie  Moderne. 

CADOUDAL,  George,  a  Chonan  chief,  born  at  Auraj  in  1Y69,  was 
the  son  of  a  village  miller.  When  Bretagne  took  up  arms,  he  entered 
the  service  as  a  common  horseman,  and  in  1795  was  considered  the  head 
of  the  plebeian  party.  In  1Y96  and  the  three  ensuing  years  he  continued 
in  arms,  and  was  the  only  general-in-chief  who  was  not  noble.  His 
division  was  that  most  frequently  sent  against  the  republicans.  In  1800 
he  concluded  peace  with  the  French  government.  He  afterwards  went 
to  Paris,  on  the  invitation  of  Bonaparte;  and  then  to  London,  where  he 
was  favorably  received  by  the  English  ministers.  The  idea  of  the  in- 
fernal machine  is  said  to  have  originated  with  him,  though  he  denied 
it.  In  1803  George  and  Pichegru  landed  on  the  coast  of  l^ormandy  to 
execute  a  plan  of  assassinating  the  First  Consul.  The  conspiracy,  how- 
ever, was  frustrated,  and  George  was  condemned  and  executed  at  Paris 
in  1804.  He  was  thirty-five  years  old,  and  showed  during  his  trial  the 
greatest  coolness. — Encyclopcedia  Americana. 

One  day  I  asked  Napoleon's  opinion  of  George  Cadoudal.  "  George," 
said  he,  "  had  courage,  and  that  was  all.  After  the  peace  with  the 
Chouans  I  endeavored  to  gain  him  over,  as  then  he  would  have  been 
useful  to  me,  and  I  was  anxious  to  calm  all  parties.  I  sent  for,  and 
spoke  to  him  a  long  time.  His  father  was  a  miller,  and  he  was  an 
ignorant  fellow  himself.  I  asked  him.  Why  do  you  want  to  restore  the 
Bourbons  ?  If  you  were  even  to  succeed  in  placing  them  on  the  throne, 
you  would  still  be  only  a  miller's  son  in  their  eyes.  They  would  hold 
you  in  contempt  because  you  were  not  of  noble  birth.  But  I  found  that 
he  had  no  heart — in  fact,  that  he  was  not  a  Frenchman." — A  Voice  from 
St.  Helena. 

CAMBACEEES,  Jean  Jacques  Eegis,  was  born  in  1753,  at  Mont- 
pellier,  of  an  ancient  family  of  lawyers.  At  the  commencement  of  the 
Revolution,  he  received  several  public  ofiices,  and  in  1792  became  a 
member  of  the  Convention.  In  1793  he  declared  Louis  XVI.  guilty, 
but  disputed  the  right  of  the  Convention  to  judge  him,  and  voted  for  his 
provisory  arrest,  and  in  case  of  a  hostile  invasion,  for  his  death.  As  a 
member  of  the  committee  of  public  safety,  Cambaceres  reported  the 
treason  of  Dumouriez.  After  the  fall  of  the  Terrorists,  he  entered  into 
the  council  of  Five  Hundred,  where  he  presented  a  new  plan  for  a  civil 
code,  which  became  subsequently  the  foundation  of  the  Code  l^apoleon. 
On  the  18th  Brumaire,  he  was  chosen  second  consul,  and  after  Bonaparte 
had  ascended  the  throne,  was  appointed  arch-chancellor  of  the  Empire. 
In  1808  he  was  created  Duke  of  Parma.  On  the  approach  of  the  allies 
in  1814,  he  followed  the  government,  whence  he  sent  his  consent  to  the 
Emperor's  abdication.  On  the  return  of  ISTapoleon,  in  the  following 
year,  he  was  made  president  of  the  House  of  Peers,  and  on  the  Em- 
peror's second  downfall,  was  banished,  and  went  to  live  at  Brussels. 
In  1818  the  King  permitted  him  to  return  to  Paris,  where  he  lived 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  453 

afterwards  as  a  private  individual,  and  died  in  1824. — Encyclopcedia 
Americana. 

The  Consul  Cambaceres  received  company  every  Tuesday  and  Satur- 
day, and  no  other  house  in  Paris  could  stand  a  comparison  with  his  hotel. 
He  was  a  consummate  epicure,  had  ^reat  conversational  powers,  and  the 
incidents  of  his  narratives  acquired  novelty  and  grace  from  the  turn 
of  his  language.  I  may  be  allowed  to  call  him  an  honest  man,  for, 
looking  round  on  all  his  equals  in  power,  I  have  never  found  one  of  such 
absolu<-e  good  faith  and  probity.  His  figure  was  extraordinarily  ugly, 
as  well  as  unique.  The  slow  and  regular  step,  the  measured  cadence  of 
accentuation,  the  very  look,  which  was  three  times  as  long  as  another's 
to  arrive  at  its  object — all  was  in  admirable  keeping  with  the  long 
person,  long  nose,  long  chin,  and  the  yellow  skin,  which  betrayed  not  the 
smallest  symptoms  that  any  matter  inclining  to  sanguine  circulated  be- 
neath its  cellular  texture.  The  same  consistency  pervaded  his  dress; 
and  when  demurely  promenading  the  galleries  of  the  Palais  Royal,  then 
the  Palais  Egalite,  the  singular  cut  and  color  of  his  embroidered  coat; 
his  ruffles,  at  that  time  so  uncommon ;  his  short  breeches,  silk  stockings, 
shoes  polished  with  English  blacking,  and  fastened  with  gold  buckles, 
his  old-fashioned  wig  and  queue,  and  his  well-appointed  and  well-placed 
three-cornered  hat,  produced  altogether  a  most  fantastic  effect. — 
Duchess  d'Ahrantes. 

CARXOT,  Lazare  Nicolas  Marguerite,  born  at  ISTolay,  May  13, 
1753,  was  one  of  the  first  officers  of  the  French  army  who  embraced 
cordially  and  enthusiastically  the  regenerating  views  of  the  National 
Assembly.  In  1791  he  was  in  the  garrison  at  St.  Omer,  where  he  mar- 
ried Mademoiselle  Dupont,  daughter  of  a  merchant  there.  His  political 
principles,  the  moderation  of  his  conduct,  and  his  varied  knowledge  pro- 
cured for  him  soon  after  the  honor  of  a  seat  in  the  legislature,  from  which 
period  he  devoted  himself  wholly  to  the  imperative  duties  imposed  on 
him  either  by  the  choice  of  his  fellow-citizens,  or  by  the  suffrages  of  his 
colleagues.  The  Convention  placed  in  the  hands  of  Carnot  the  colossal 
and  incoherent  mass  of  the  military  requisition.  It  was  necessary  to 
organize,  discipline,  and  teach.  He  drew  from  it  fourteen  armies.  He 
had  to  create  able  leaders.  His  penetrating  eye  ranged  through  the  most 
obscure  ranks  in  search  of  talent  united  with  courage  and  disinterested- 
ness; and  he  promoted  it  rapidly  to  the  highest  grades.  In  1802,  Carnot 
opposed  the  creation  of  the  Legion  of  Honor.  He  likewise  opposed  the 
erection  of  the  consulate  for  life;  but  it  was  most  especially  at  the 
period  when  it  was  proposed  to  raise  Bonaparte  to  the  throne  that  he 
exerted  all  his  energy.  He  stood  alone  in  the  midst  of  the  general  defec- 
tion. His  conduct  during  the  Hundred  Days  appears  to  me  summed 
up  completely  in  the  memorable  words  which  Napoleon  addressed  to  him, 
on  entering  the  carriage  when  he  was  going  to  Rochefort :  "  Carnot,  I 
have  known  you  too  late!"  After  the  catastrophe  of  the  Hundred  Days, 
Carnot  was  proscribed,  and  obliged  to  expatriate  himself.     He  died  at 


454  BIOGKAPinCAL    SKETCHES. 

Magdeburg  in  1823,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  It  is  true,  he  had  ambi- 
tion, but  he  has  himself  told  us  its  character — it  was  the  ambition  of  the 
three  hundred  Spartans  going  to  defend  Thermopylte. — Arago. 

Carnot  was  a  man  laborious  and  sincere,  but  liable  to  the  influence  of 
intrigues,  and.  easily  deceived.  When  minister  oi  war  he  showed  but 
little  talent,  and  had  many  quarrels  with  the  ministers  of  finance  and 
the  treasury,  in  all  of  which  he  was  wrong.  He  left  the  government, 
convinced  that  he  could  not  fulfil  his  station  for  want  of  money.  He 
afterwards  voted  against  the  establishment  of  the  empire,  but  as  his 
conduct  was  always  upright,  he  never  gave  any  umbrage  to  the  govern- 
ment. During  the  prosperity  of  the  empire  he  never  asked  for  anything ; 
but,  after  the  misfortunes  of  Russia,  he  demanded  employment  and  got 
the  command  of  Antwerp,  where  he  acquitted  himself  very  well.  After 
iNTapoleon's  return  from  Elba,  he  was  minister  of  the  interior,  and  the 
emperor  had  every  reason  to  be  satisfied  with  liis  conduct.  He  was 
faithful,  and  a  man  of  truth  and  probity. — A  Voice  from  St.  Helena. 

The  royalists  and  their  foreign  allies  have  never  been  able  to  forgive 
Carnot's  signal  military  exploits  during  the  war  of  the  French  Revolu- 
tion ;  and  affected  to  confound  him  with  Robespierre,  as  if  he  had  been 
the  accomplice  of  that  monster  in  the  Reign  of  Terror.  Situated  as 
Carnot  then  was,  he  had  but  one  alternative — either  to  continue  in  the 
committee  of  public  safety,  co-operating  with  men  whom  he  abhorred, 
and  lending  his  name  to  their  worst  deeds,  while  he  was  fain  to  close  his 
eyes  upon  their  details ;  or  to  leave  the  tremendous  war  which  France  was 
then  waging  for  her  existence,  in  the  hands  of  men  so  utterly  unfit  to 
conduct  the  machine  an  instant,  that  immediate  conquest,  in  its  worst 
shape,  must  have  been  the  consequence  of  his  desertion.  There  may  be 
many  an  honest  man  who  would  have  preferred  death  to  any  place  in 
Robespierre's  committee;  but  it  is  fair  to  state  that  in  all  probability 
Carnot  saved  his  country  by  persevering  in  the  management  of  the  wari 
— Edinburgh  Review. 

CARRA,  Jean  Louis,  was  born  at  Pont-du-Vesle  in  1743.  He  called 
himself  a  man  of  letters  before  the  Revolution,  because  he  had  written 
some  bad  articles  in  the  Encyclopaedia.  At  the  beginning  of  the  troubles, 
he  went  to  Paris ;  made  himself  remarkable  among  the  most  violent 
revolutionists,  and,  in  1789,  proposed  the  formation  of  the  municipality 
of  Paris,  and  of  the  city  guard.  It  was  Carra  who  thought  of  arming 
the  people  with  pikes.  Always  preaching  up  murder  and  pillage  in  his 
writings,  he  was  one  of  the  chiefs  of  the  revolt  of  August  10,  1792 ;  and 
in  his  journal,  he  gloried  in  having  traced  out  the  plan  of  that  day. 
Being  denounced  by  Robespierre,  he  was  condemned  to  death,  and 
executed  October  31,  1793. — Biographie  Moderne. 

CARRIER,  Jean  Baptiste,  born  in  Auvergne  in  1756,  and  an 
obscure  attorney  at  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution,  was  deputed  in 
1792,  to  the  Convention,  aided  in  the  establishment  of  the  revolutionary 
tribunal,  and  exhibited  the  wildest  rage  for  persecution.     He  voted  for 


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BIOOKAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  '  457 

tlie  King's  death,  and,  in  1793,  was  sent  to  Nantes  with  a  commission 
to  suppress  the  civil  war  by  severity,  which  he  exercised  in  the  most 
atrocious  manner.  After  the  fall  of  Robespierre,  Carrier  was  appre- 
hended, and  condemned  to  death  in  December,  1794. — Encyclopccdia 
A  mericana. 

Out  of  500  members,  498  voted  in  favor  of  the  sentence  of  death 
against  Carrier,  the  remaining  two  were  also  in  favor  of  it,  but  condi- 
tionally.— Ilazlitt. 

It  is  my  plan  to  carry  off  from  that  accursed  country.  La  Vendee,  all 
manner  of  subsistence  or  provisions  for  man  or  beast:  all  forage — in  a 
word,  everything — give  all  the  buildings  to  the  flames,  and  exterminate 
the  inhabitants.  Oppose  their  being  relieved  by  a  single  grain  of  corn 
for  their  subsistence.  I  give  you  the  most  positive — the  most  imperious 
orders.  You  are  answerable  for  the  execution  from  this  moment.  In  a 
word,  leave  nothing  in  that  proscribed  country — let, the  means  of  sub- 
sistence, provisions,  forage,  everything — positively  everything,  be  re- 
moved to  ISTantes. — Extract  from  Carrier's  Letter  to  General  Haxo. 

CATHELINEAU,  Jacques,  born  near  St.  Flaurent,  January  5,  1759, 
was  a  wool-dealer  of  the  village  of  Pin  en  Mauges,  who  took  the  resolu- 
tion of  standing  up  for  his  king  and  country,  facing  the  evils  which  were 
not  to  be  avoided,  and  doing  his  duty  manfully  in  arms.  His  wife  en- 
treated him  not  to  form  this  perilous  resolution ;  but  this  was  no  time  for 
such  humanities ;  so,  leaving  his  work,  he  called  the  villagers  about  him, 
and  succeeded  in  inducing  them  to  take  up  arms.  He  was  killed,  during 
the  attack  on  ISTantes,  June  29,  1793. — Quarterly  Review. 

CHABOT,  Francois,  a  Capuchin,  born  in  the  department  of  Aveyron 
in  1759,  eagerly  profited  by  the  opportunity  of  breaking  his  vows, 
which  the  decree  of  the  Constituent  iVssembly  offered  him.  In  1792  he 
was  appointed  deputy  of  Loire-et-Chcr  to  the  legislature.  In  the  same 
year,  he  went  so  far  as  to  cause  himself  to  be  slightly  wounded  by  six 
confidential  men,  in  order  that  he  might  accuse  the  King  of  being  the 
author  of  this  assassination.  It  is  asserted  that  he  even  pressed  Merlin 
and  Bazire  to  murder  him,  and  then  to  carry  his  bloody  corpse  into  the 
faubourg,  to  hasten  the.  insurrection  of  the  people,  and  the  destruction 
of  the  monarch.  Chabot  was  one  of  the  chief  instigators  of  the  events 
of  August  10th,  and  voted  afterAvards  for  the  death  of  the  King.  He  was 
condemned  to  death  by  Bobespierre  as  a  partisan  of  the  Dantonist  faction. 
When  he  knew  what  his  fate  was  to  be,  he  poisoned  himself  with  corrosive 
sublimate  of  mercury ;  but  the  dreadful  pain  he  suffered  having  extorted 
shrieks  from  him,  he  was  conveyed  to  the  infirmary,  and  his  life  pro- 
longed till  April  5,  1794,  when  he  was  guillotined.  Chabot  died  with 
IRrmness  at  the  age  of  thirty-five. — Biographie  Moderne. 

CHARETTE  DE  LA  CONTRIE^  Francois  Athanase,  born  near 
Ancenis,  April  21,  1763,  was  the  only  individual  to  whom  !N"apoleon 
attached  particular  importance.  I  have  read  a  history  of  La  Vendee, 
said  he  to  me,  and  if  the  details  and  portraits  are  correct,  Charette  was 


458  BIOGRAPllICAT.    SKETCHES. 

the  only  great  character — the  true  hero  of  that  remarkable  episode  in 
our  revolution.  He  impressed  me  with  the  idea  of  a  great  man.  He 
betrayed  genius.  I  replied,  that  I  had  known  Charette  very  well  in  my 
youth,  and  that  his  brilliant  exploits  astonished  all  who  had  formerly 
been  acquainted  with  him.  We  looked  on  him  as  a  commonplace  sort 
of  man,  devoid  of  information,  ill-tempered,  and  extremely  indolent. 
When,  however,  he  began  to  rise  into  celebrity,  his  early  friends  recol- 
lected a  circumstance  which  certainly  indicated  decision  of  character. 
When  Charette  was  first  called  into  service  during  the  American  war, 
he  sailed  out  of  Brest  on  board  a  cutter  during  the  winter.  The  cutter 
lost  her  mast,  and  to  a  vessel  of  that  description,  such  an  accident  was 
equivalent  to  certain  destruction.  The  weather  was  stormy — death  seem- 
ed inevitable — and  the  sailors,  throwing  themselves  on  their  knees, 
lost  all  presence  of  mind,  and  refused  to  exert  themselves.  At  this  crisis, 
Charette,  notwithstanding  his  extreme  youth,  killed  one  of  the  men,  in 
order  to  compel  the  rest  to  do  their  duty.  This  dreadful  example  had  the 
desired  effect,  and  the  ship  was  saved.  Ay,  said  the  Emperor,  here  was 
the  spark  that  distinguished  the  hero  of  La  Vendee.  Men's  dispositions 
are  often  misunderstood.  There  are  sleepers  whose  waking  is  terrible. 
Charette  was  one  of  these. — Las  Cases. 

After  his  capture,  Charette  entered  into  l^antes  preceded  by  a  nu- 
merous escort,  closely  guarded  by  gendarmes,  and  generals  glittering  in 
gold  and  plumes ;  himself  on  foot,  with  his  clothes  torn  and  bloody,  pale 
and  attenuated;  yet  more  an  object  of  interest  than  all  the  splendid 
throng  by  whom  he  was  surrounded.  Such  was  his  exhaustion  from  loss 
of  blood,  that  he  fainted  on  leaving  the  Quarter  of  Commerce;  but  no 
sooner  was  his  strength  revived  by  a  glass  of  water,  than  he  marched  on, 
enduring  for  two  hours,  with  heroic  constancy,  the  abuse  of  the  populace. 
He  was  conducted  to  the  military  commission,  and  sentenced  to  be  shot. 
On  the  following  morning  he  was  brought  out  on  the  scaffold.  The  roll 
of  drums,  the  assemblage  of  all  the  troops  and  national  guard,  and  a 
countless  multitude  of  spectators,  announced  the  great  event  which  was 
approaching.  At  length  the  hero  appeared,  descended  with  a  firm  step 
the  prison  stairs,  and  walked  to  the  place  where  his  execution  was  to  take 
place.  A  breathless  silence  prevailed.  Charette  advanced  to  the  ap- 
pointed place,  bared  his  breast,  and  himself  gave  the  command,  uttering, 
with  his  last  breath,  the  words  "  Vive  le  Roi !" — Alison. 

CHAUMETTE,  Pierre  Gaspard,  attorney  of  the  commune  of  Paris, 
was  born  at  I'J'evers,  May  24,  1763.  His  father  was  a  shoemaker.  After 
having  been  a  cabin-boy,  a  steersman,  a  transcriber,  and  an  attorney's 
clerk  at  Paris,  he  worked  under  the  journalist  Prudhomme,  who  describes 
him  as  a  very  ignorant  fellow.  He  soon  acquired  great  power  in  the 
capital,  and  in  1793  proposed  the  formation  of  a  revolutionary  tribunal 
without  appeal,  and  a  tax  on  the  rich.  At  the  same  time,  he  contrived 
the  Festivals  of  Reason,  and  the  orgies  and  profanations  which  polluted 
all  the  churches  in  Paris,  and  even  proposed  that  a  moving  guillotine 


BIOGKAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  459 

mounted  on  four  wheels,  should  follow  the  revolutionary  army  "  to  shed 
blood  in  profusion !"  Chaumette  also  proposed  the  cessation  of  public 
worship,  and  the  equality  of  funerals ;  and  procured  an  order  for  the 
demolition  of  all  monuments  of  religion  and  royalty.  He  was  executed, 
by  order  of  Robespierre,  April  13,  1794,  twenty  days  after  Hebert,  to 
whose  party  he  had  attached  himself. — Biographie  Moderne. 

The  municipal  faction  of  Chaumette  and  Hebert  had  not  only  struck  at 
the  root  of  religious  worship,  but  they  had  attempted  also  to  alter  the 
whole  existing  social  code.  "  The  most  sacred  relations  of  life,"  says 
Mr.  Alison,  "'  were  at  the  same  period  placed  on  a  new  footing,  suited  to 
the  extravagant  ideas  of  the  times.  Marriage  was  declared  a  civil  con- 
tract, binding  only  during  the  pleasure  of  the  contracting  parties.  Di- 
vorce immediately  became  gene'ral ;  and  the  corruption  of  manners 
reached  a  height  unknowm  during  the  worst  days  of  the  monjirchy.  So 
indiscriminate  did  concubinage  become,  that,  by  a  decree  of  the  Con- 
vention, bastards  were  declared  entitled  to  an  equal  share  of  the  succes- 
sion with  legitimate  children.  The  divorces  in  Paris  in  the  first  three 
months  of  1792  were  562,  while  the  marriages  were  only  1785 — a  pro- 
portion probably  unexampled  among  mankind !  The  consequences  soon 
became  apparent.  Before  the  era  of  the  Consulate,  one-half  of  the  whole 
births  in  Paris  were  illegitimate." 

CLOOTZ,  Jean  Baptiste  du  Val-de-Grace,  a  Prussian  baron,  as- 
sumed the  name  of  Anacharsis  Clootz.  He  was  born  at  Cleves,  on  June 
24,  1755,  and  became  the  possessor  of  a  considerable  fortune,  which  he 
dissipated  by  his  misconduct.  He  was  not  destitute  of  ability,  but  M^as 
half-crazed  by  his  fanatical  love  of  liberty,  and  his  constant  habit  of 
poring  over  the  works  of  German  metaphysicians.  As  he  was  the  nephew 
of  Cornelius  Parr,  author  of  several  works,  he  thought  he  must  also  be 
a  writer.  He  travelled  in  dilferent  parts  of  Europe,  and  particularly 
cultivated  the  society  of  Burke,  who  was  then  a  member  of  the  opposition 
in  the  English  Parliament.  During  the  French  Revolution,  Clootz  made 
himself  notorious  by  the  absurd  extravagance  of  his  conduct.  The  mas- 
querade, kno\vn  by  the  name  of  the  "  Embassy  of  the  Human  Race," 
was  the  first  scene  in  which  he  attracted  attention.  He  appeared  on 
June  19,  1790,  at  the  bar  of  the  National  Assembly,  followed  by  a  con- 
siderable body  of  Parisian  porters  in  foreign  dresses,  whom  he  presented 
as  deputies  from  all  nations.  He  styled  himself  the  "  Orator  of  the 
human  race,"  and  requested  to  be  admitted  to  the  Federation,  which 
was  agreed  to.  On  January  22,  1792,  he  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Legisla- 
tive Assembly,  beginning  thus :  "  The  orator  of  the  human  race  to  the 
legislature  of  the  human  race  sends  greeting."  On  April  21st  he  de- 
livered a  ridiculous  tirade  at  the  bar  relative  to  the  declaration  of  war 
against  the  King  of  Hungary  and  Bohemia ;  proposed  to  the  Assembly 
to  adhere  for  a  year  to  a  strict  regimen ;  and  ended  by  offering,  what  he 
called,  a  patriotic  gift  of  12,000  livres.  He  in  consequence  obtained  the 
honor  of  a  seat  among  the  members.     On  August  12th  he  came  to  con- 


460  BIOGEAPniCAL    SKETCHES. 

gratulate  the  Assembly  on  the  events  of  the  10th,  and  offered  to  raise  a 
Prussian  legion.  On  the  27th,  he  begged  the  Assembly  to  set  a  price  on 
the  heads  of  the  King  of  Prussia  and  the  Duke  of  Brunswick,  and  de- 
livered a  long  speech,  in  which  the  following  expressions  occurred: 
"Charles  IX.  had  a  successor;  Louis  will  have  none."  "You  know 
how  to  value  the  heads  of  philosophers ;  a  price  yet  remains  to  be  set  on 
those  of  tyrants."  "  My  heart  is  French,  and  my  soul  sans-culotte." 
The  hatred  of  this  fanatic  against  the  Christian  religion  was  as  fervent 
as  that  which  he  entertained  against  the  monarchy.  In  September,  1792, 
he  was  deputed  from  the  Oise  to  the  Convention,  where  he  voted  for  the 
death  of  Louis  XVI.  in  the  name  of  the  human  race !  In  the  same  year 
he  published  a  work  entitled  The  Universal  Eepuhlic,  wherein  he  laid 
it  down  as  a  principle  "  that  the  people  was  the  sovereign  of  the  world — 
nay,  that  it  was  God  !" — "  that  fools  alone  believed  in  a  Supreme  Being!" 
etc.  He  soon  afterwards  fell  under  the  suspicion  of  Robespierre,  was 
arrested  as  a  Hebertist,  and  condemned  to  death  on  March  24,  1794. 
He  died  with  great  firmness,  and,  on  his  way  to  execution,  lectured  He- 
bert  on  materialism,  "  to  prevent  him,"  as  he  said,  "  from  yielding  to 
religious  feelings  in  his  last  moments."  He  even  asked  to  be  executed 
after  all  his  accomplices,  in  order  that  he  might  have  time  "  to  establish 
certain  principles  during  the  fall  of  their  heads." — Biographie  Moderne. 
COLLOT-D'HEPBOIS,  Jean  Marie,  born  at  Paris  about  1753,  first 
appeared  on  the  stage,  and  had  little  success.  He  played  at  Geneva,  at 
the  Hague,  and  at  Lyons,  where,  having  been  often  liissed,  he  vowed  the 
most  cruel  vengeance  against  that  town.  The  line  of  acting  in  which 
he  played  best  was  that  of  tyrants  in  tragedies.  He  went  to  Paris  at 
the  beginning  of  the  Iievolution,  and  embraced  the  popular  cause.  Pos- 
sessed of  a  fine  face,  a  powerful  voice,  and  great  boldness,  he  became  one 
of  the  oracles  at  the  Jacobin  Club.  He  was  no  stranger  to  the  September 
massacres.  During  tlio  king's  trial  he  sat  at  the  top  of  the  Mountain,  by 
Robespierre's  side,  and  voted  for  the  monarch's  death.  It  has  been  said 
of  this  man,  who  was  surnamed  the  Tiger,  that  he  was  the  most  sangui- 
nary of  the  Terrorists.  In  1793  he  took  his  departure  for  Lyons,  protest- 
ing that  the  South  should  soon  be  purified.  It  is  from  the  time  of  this 
mission  that  his  horril)le  celebrity  takes  its  rise.  He  sent  for  a  column  of 
the  revolutionary  army,  and  organized  the  demolitions  and  the  employ- 
ment of  cannon  in  order  to  make  up  for  the  slowness  of  the  guillotine 
at  Lyons.  The  victims,  when  about  to  be  shot,  Avere  bound  to  a  cord  fixed 
to  trees,  and  a  picket  of  infantry  marched  round  the  place,  firing  suc- 
cessively on  the  condemned.  The  mitraiUades,  the  executions  by  artil- 
lery, took  place  in  the  Brotteaux.  Those  who  were  destined  for  this 
punishment  were  ranged  two  by  two  on  the  edge  of  th^.  ditches  that  had 
been  dug  to  receive  their  bodies,  and  cannons,  loaded  tvith  small  bits  of 
metal,  were  fired  upon  them;  after  which,  some  troops  of  the  revolu- 
tionary army  despatched  the  wounded  with  swords  or  bayonets.  Two 
women  and  a  young  girl  having  solicited  the  pardon  of  their  husbands 


AXACITARSTS    CI.OOTZ. 


BIOGllArillCAI.    SKETCHES. 


463 


and  brothers,  Collot-d'IIerbois  had  them  bound  on  the  scaffold  where  their 
relations  expired,  and  their  blood  spouted  out  on  them.  On  his  return 
to  Paris,  being  denounced  to  the  National  Convention  by  petitioners 
from  Lyons,  he  answered,  that  "  the  cannon  had  been  fired  but  once  on 
sixty  of  the  most  guilty,  to  destroy  them  with  a  single  stroke."  The 
Convention  approved  of  his  measures,  and  ordered  that  his  speech  should 
be  printed.  In  the  year  1794,  returning  home  at  one  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  Collot  was  attacked  by  Admiral,  who  fired  at  him  twice  with  a 
pistol,  but  missed  his  aim.  The  importance  which  this  adventure  gave 
him,  both  in  the  Convention  of  which  he  was  nominated  president,  and 
elsewhere,  irritated  the  self-love  of  Robespierre,  whom  Collot  afterwards 
denounced.  In  1795  he  was  transported  to  Guiana,  where  he  endeavored 
to  stir  up  the  blacks  against  the  whites. — Biographie  Modeme. 

Collot-d'Herbois  died  in  exile  at  Cayenne.  He  was  found  one  day 
lying  on  the  ground,  with  his  face  exposed  to  a  burning  sun,  in  a  raging 
fever.  The  negroes  who  were  appointed  to  carry  him  from  Kouron  to 
Cayenne,  had  thrown  him  down  to  perish.  He  expired,  vomiting  froth 
and  blood,  and  calling  upon  that  God  whom  he  had  so  often  renounced. — 
Pitons  Voyage  to  Cayenne. 

COISTDE,  Louis  Joseph  de  Bourbon,  Prince  of,  was  born  at  Chan- 
tilly,  August  9,  1736.  He  was  the  only  son  of  the  Duke  of  Bourbon  and 
the  Princess  of  Hesse-Rheinfels.  In  1753  he  married  the  Princess  of 
Rohan-Soubise,  who  in  1756  bore  him  the  Prince  of  Bourbon-Conde. 
In  the  seven  years'  war  he  distinguished  himself  by  his  skill  and 
courage  and  in  1762  gained  a  victory  at  Johannisberg  over  the  heredi- 
tary Prince  of  Brunswick.  In  the  Revolution  he  emigrated  in  1789,  to 
Brussels,  and  thence  to  Turin.  He  afterwards  formed*  a  little  corps  of 
emigrant  nobility,  which  joined  the  Austrian  army  under  Wurmser.  In 
1795  he  entered  with  his  corps  into  the  English  service.  In  1797  he 
entered  the  Russian  service,  and  marched  with  his  corps  to  Russia,  where 
he  was  hospitably  received  by  Paul  I.  In  1800,  after  the  separation  of 
Russia  from  the  coalition,  he  re-entered  the  English  service.  He  re- 
turned to  Paris  in  1814;  and  the  next  year  fled  with  the  king  to  Ghent. 
He  died  at  Paris  in  1818.  His  grandson  was  the  unfortunate  Duke 
d'Enghien. — Cyclopcpdia  Americana. 

CONDORCET,  Marie  Jean  Antoine  Nicolas  de  Caritat,  Mar- 
quis de,  was  born  at  St.  Quentin,  in  Picardy,  September  17,  1743.  His 
was  one  of  the  oldest  families  in  Dauphine.  He  was  educated  in  the  col- 
lege of  Navarre,  at  Paris,  and  from  early  youth  devoted  himself  to  the 
study  of  the  exact  sciences.  The  Duke  of  Rochefoucault  was  his  patron ; 
and  introduced  him  into  the  world  at  the  age  of  nineteen.  With  astonish- 
ing facility  Condorcet  treated  the  most  difficult  problems  in  mathematics, 
and  gained  such  celebrity  as  a  man  of  science,  that,  in  1777,  he  was  made 
secretary  to  the  Academy  of  Sciences.  He  contributed  several  articles 
to  the  Encyclopcedia,  and  was  intimate  with  most  of  the  ^vriters  of  that 
great  work.    Under  a  cold  exterior,  Condorcet  concealed  the  most  violent 


464  BIOGEAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

passions.  D'Alembert  compared  him  to  a  volcano  covered  with  snow. 
On  the  intelligence  of  the  king's  flight,  he  defined  the  royal  dignity  as  an 
anti-social  institution.  In  1792  he  was  appointed  President  of  the  As- 
sembly, and  composed  the  proclamation  addressed  to  the  French  and  to 
Enrope,  which  announced  the  abolition  of  royalty.  On  the  trial  of  Louis 
he  voted  for  the  severest  sentence  not  capital ;  at  the  same  time  he  voted 
for  the  abolition  of  capital  punishments,  except  in  crimes  against  the 
state.  In  1793  he  was  accused  of  being  an  accomplice  with  Brissot, 
and,  to  save  his  life,  concealed  himself  in  the  house  of  Madame  Verney, 
where  he  remained  eight  months,  during  which  period,  though  in  con- 
stant fear  of  discovery,  he  wrote  one  of  his  best  philosophical  treatises. 
Having  at  length  learned  that  death  was  denounced  against  all  who 
harbored  a  proscribed  individual,  he  left  his  generous  hostess,  and 
fled  in  disguise  from  Paris.  He  wandered  about  for  some  time,  until, 
driven  by  hunger,  he  entered  a  small  inn  at  Clamar,  where  he  was  arrest- 
ed as  a  suspicious  person,  and  thrown  into  prison.  On  the  following 
morning,  March  28,  1794,  he  was  found  dead  on  the  floor  of  his  room, 
having  apparently  swallowed  poison,  which  he  always  carried  about  him, 
and  which  nothing  but  his  love  for  his  wife  and  daughter  prevented  him 
using  before. — Encyclopcedia  Americana. 

CORDAY  D'ARMANS,  Charlotte,  was  born  at  St.  Saturnin  des 
Lignerets,  in  the  year  1768.  ISTature  had  bestowed  on  her  a  handsome 
person,  wit,  feeling,  and  a  masculine  understanding.  She  received  her 
education  in  a  convent,  where  she  labored  with  constant  assiduity  to  culti- 
vate her  own  powers.  The  Abbe  Raynal  was  her  favorite  modern  author ; 
and  the  Revolution  found  in  her  an  ardent  proselyte.  Her  love  of  study 
rendered  her  careless  of  the  homage  that  her  beauty  attracted,  though 
she  was  said  to  have  formed  an  attachment  to  M.  Belzunce,  major  of  the 
regiment  of  Bourbon,  quartered  at  Caen.  This  young  officer  was  mas- 
sacred in  1789,  after  Marat  in  several  successive  numbers  of  his  journal 
had  denounced  Belzunce  as  a  counter-revolutionist.  From  this  moment 
Charlotte  Corday  conceived  a  great  hatred  of  Marat,  which  was  in- 
creased after  the  overthrow  of  the  Girondins,  whose  principles  she 
reverenced ;  and,  being  resolved  to  gratify  her  vengeance,  she  left  Caen 
in  1793,  and  arrived  about  noon  on  the  third  day  at  Paris.  Early  on 
the  second  morning  of  her  arrival  she  went  into  the  Palais  Royal,  bought 
a  knife,  hired  a  coach,  and  drove  to  the  house  of  Marat.  Being  denied 
admittance,  she  returned  to  her  hotel,  and  wrote  the  following  letter: 
"  Citizen,  I  have  just  arrived  from  Caen ;  your  love  for  your  country  in- 
clines me  to  suppose  you  will  listen  with  pleasure  to  the  secret  events  of 
that  part  of  the  republic.  I  will  present  myself  at  your  house;  have  the 
goodness  to  give  orders  for  my  admission,  and  grant  me  a  moment's 
private  conversation.  T  can  point  out  the  means  by  w^hich  you  may 
render  an  important  service  to  France."  In  the  fear  that  this  letter 
might  not  produce  the  effect  she  desired,  she  wrote  another,  still  more 
pressing,  which  she  took  herself.     On  knocking  at  the  door,  Marat,  who 


CHAUI.OTTE    COUOAY. 


BIOQKAPHICAL,    SKETCHES.  467 

was  in  his  bath,  ordered  her  to  be  instantly  admitted ;  when,  being  left 
alone  with  him,  she  answered  with  perfect  self-possession  all  his  in- 
quiries respecting  the  proscribed  deputies  at  Caen.  While  he  made 
memorandums  of  their  conversation,  Charlotte  Corday  coolly  measured 
with  her  eye  the  spot  whereon  to  strike ;  and  then,  snatching  the  weapon 
from  her  bosom,  she  buried  the  entire  knife  right  in  his  heart !  A  single 
exclamation  escaped  Marat.  "Help!"  he  said,  and  expired.  Having 
been  tried  and  found  guilty,  Charlotte  Corday  still  maintained  a  noble 
and  dignified  deportment,  welcoming  death,  not  as  the  expiation  of  a 
crime,  but  as  the  inevitable  consequence  of  a  mighty  effort  to  avenge  the 
injuries  of  a  nation.  The  hour  of  her  punishment  drew  immense  crowds 
to  the  place  of  execution.  When  she  appeared  alone  with  the  executioner 
in  the  cart,  in  despite  of  the  constrained  attitude  in  which  she  sat,  and  of 
the  disorder  of  her  dress,  she  excited  the  silent  admiration  of  those  even 
who  were  hired  to  curse  her.  One  man  alone  had  courage  to  raise  his 
voice  in  her  praise.  His  name  was  Adam  Lux,  and  he  was  a  deputy 
from  the  city  of  Mentz.  "  She  is  greater  than  Brutus !"  he  exclaimed. 
This  sealed  his  death-warrant.  He  was  soon  afterwards  guillotined. — 
Du  Broca. 

"  Pardon  me,  my  dear  father,"  wrote  Charlotte  Corday,  "  for  having 
disposed  of  my  life  without  your  permission.  I  have  avenged  many 
victims — prevented  others.  The  people  will  one  day  acknowledge  the 
service  I  have  rendered  my  country.  For  your  sake  I  wished  to  remain 
incognito;  but  it  was  impossible.  I  only  trust  you  will  not  be  injured 
by  what  I  have  done.  Farewell,  my  beloved  father!  Forget  me,  or 
rather  rejoice  at  my  fate,  for  it  has  sprung  from  a  noble  cause.  Em- 
brace my  sister  for  me,  whom  I  love  with  all  my  heart.  Never  forget 
the  words  of  Corneille — the  crime  makes  the  shame,  and  not  the  scaf- 
fold."— Alison. 

On  her  way  to  the  scaffold,  Charlotte  Corday  heard  nothing  but 
applause  and  acclamation,  yet  by  a  smile  alone  she  discovered  what  she 
felt.  When  she  had  ascended  the  place  of  execution,  her  face  still  glowed 
with  the  hue  of  pleasure;  and  even  in  her  last  moments,  the  handker- 
chief which  covered  her  bosom  having  been  removed,  her  cheeks  were 
suffused  with  the  blush  of  modesty.  At  the  time  of  her  death,  she  wanted 
three  months  of  her  twenty-fifth  year.  She  was  descended  from  Peter 
Corneille. — Paris  Journal,  1797. 

COUTHOX,  J.,  surnamed  Cato  during  the  Reign  of  Terror,  was  born 
at  Orsay  in  175G,  and  was  an  advocate  at  Clerrnont.  He  was  deputed 
to  the  legislature  and  the  Convention.  Before  this  period  he  enjoyed 
in  his  own  country  a  reputation  for  gentleness  and  integrity;  yet  he 
embraced  the  revolutionary  principles  with  astonishing  eagerness,  and, 
during  the  sitting  of  the  Convention,  showed  himself  the  most  ardent 
partisan  of  sanguinary  measures.  Prudhomme  says,  that  it  was  in  his 
chamber  at  Paris  that  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  Danton,  Marat,  Petion, 
Robespierre,  and  others,  assembled  to  arrange  the  insurrection  of  August 


468  BIOGKAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

10,  1792.  In  the  following  year  Couthon  voted  for  the  king's  death,  and 
eagerly  opposed  delay.  He  soon  afterwards  attacked  the  Girondins,  and 
became  the  favorite  tool  of  Robespierre.  Being  sent  to  Lyons,  he  pre- 
sided at  the  execution  of  the  rebel  chiefs,  and  began  to  put  in  force  the 
decree  which  ordered  the  demolition  of  that  city.  Being  afterwards 
implicated  with  the  party  of  Bobespierre,  the  armed  force  came  to  seize 
him;  when  he  perceived  they  were  going  to  lay  hold  of  him,  he  struck 
himself  slightly  with  a  dagger,  and  feigned  himself  dead.  In  the  year 
1794-  he  was  executed,  and  suffered  horribly  before  he  died ;  his  singular 
conformation,  and  the  dreadful  contraction  of  his  limbs  at  that  time,  so 
incommoded  the  executioner  while  fastening  him  on  the  plank  of  the 
guillotine,  that  he  was  obliged  to  lay  him  on  his  side  to  give  the  fatal 
blow;  his  torture  lasted  longer  than  that  of  fourteen  other  sufferers. — 
Biographie  Moderne. 

Couthon  was  a  decrepit  being,  whose  lower  extremities  were  paralyzed 
— whose  benevolence  of  feeling  seemed  to  pour  itself  out  in  the  most 
gentle  expressions  uttered  in  the  most  melodious  tones — whose  sensibility 
led  him  constantly  to  foster  a  favorite  spaniel  in  his  bosom  that  he  might 
have  something  on  which  to  bestow  kindness  and  caressfes — but  who  was 
at  heart  as  fierce  as  Danton,  and  as  pitiless  as  Kobespierre. — Scott's  Life 
of  Napoleon. 

Attended  by  a  crowd  of  satellites,  Couthon  traversed  the  finest  quarters 
of  Lyons  with  a  silver  hammer,  and,  striking  at  the  door  of  the  devoted 
houses,  exclaimed,  '"  Bebellious  house,  I  strike  you  in  the  name  of  the 
law."  Instantly  the  agents  of  destruction,  of  whom  twenty  thousand 
were  in  the  pay  of  the  Convention,  levelled  the  dwelling  to  the  ground. 
But  this  was  only  a  prelude  to  a  more  bloody  vengeance. — Alisoji. 

CTJSTINE,  Count  Adam  Bhilippe,  born  at  Metz,  February  4,  1740, 
served  as  captain  in  the  seven  years'  war.  Through  the  influence  of  the 
Duke  of  Choiseul,  he  obtained,  in  1762,  a  regiment  of  dragoons,  which 
was  called  by  his  name.  In  1780  he  exchanged  this  for  the  regiment  of 
Saintonge,  which  was  on  the  point  of  going  to  America,  to  the  aid  of  the 
colonies.  On  his  return,  he  was  appointed  marechal  de  camp.  In  1789 
he  was  deputy  of  the  nobility  of  Metz,  and  was  one  of  the  first  who  de- 
clared for  the  popular  party.  He  subsequently  entered  the  army  of  the 
INorth,  and,  1792,  made  himself  master  of  the  pass  of  Borentruy.  He 
then  received  the  command  of  the  army  of  the  Lower  Bhine,  and  opened 
the  campaign  by  taking  possession  of  Spire.  He  next  took  Worms,  then 
the  fortress  of  Mentz,  and  then  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  on  which  he  laid 
heavy  contributions.  In  1793  he  was  denounced,  and  received  his  dis- 
missal, but  the  Convention  afterwards  invested  him  with  the  command 
of  the  N'orthern  army.  But  he  had  hardly  time  to  visit  the  posts.  INlarat 
and  Varennes  were  unceasing  in  their  accusations  against  him,  and  the 
revolutionary  tribunal  soon  afterwards  condemned  him  to  death.  He 
was  guillotined  August  28,  1793. — Encyclopcedia  Americana. 

DANTON",  Georges  Jacques,  an  advocate  by  profession,  was  born 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  469 

at  Arcissur-Arbe,  October  20,  1759,  and  beheaded  April  5,  1794.  His 
external  appearance  was  striking.  His  stature  was  colossal;  his  frame 
athletic ;  his  features  harsh,  large,  and  disagreeable ;  his  voice  shook  the 
Assembly;  his  eloquence  was- vehement ;  and  his  imagination  as  gigantic 
as  his  person,  which  made  every  one  recoil,  and  at  which,  says  St.  Just, 
"  Freedom  herself  trembled."  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  club 
of  the  Cordeliers.  His  importance  increased  in  1792,  when  he  became 
one  of  the  instigators  of  the  events  of  June  20th,  and  a  leader  on  August 
10th.  After  the  fall  of- Louis  XVI.  Danton  was  made  minister  of  justice, 
and  usurped  the  appointments  of  officers  in  the  army  and  departments. 
He  thus  raised  up  a  great  number  of  creatures  wholly  devoted  to  his 
views.  Money  flowed  from  all  sides  into  his  hands,  and  was  profusely 
squandered  on  his  partisans.  His  violent  measures  led  to  the  September 
massacres.  The  invasion  of  Champagne  by  the  Prussians  spread  con- 
sternation through  Paris ;  and  Danton  alone  preserved  his  courage.  He 
assumed  the  administration  of  the  state ;  prepared  measures  of  defence ; 
called  on  all  Frenchmen  capable  of  bearing  arms  to  march  against  the 
enemy;  and  prevented  the  removal  of  the  Assembly  beyond  the  Loire. 
From  this  time  forward  he  was  hated  by  Robespierre,  who  could  never 
pardon  the  superiority  which  Danton  had  shown  on  this  occasion.  On 
the  occasion  of  the  Festival  of  Reason,  in  which  the  Hebertists  acted  a 
conspicuous  part,  Danton  declared  himself  against  the  attack  on  the 
ministers  of  religion,  and  subsequently  united  with  Robespierre  to  bring 
Hebert  and  his  partisans  to  the  scaffold.  But  their  connection  was  not 
of  long  duration.  Danton  wished  to  overthrow  the  despotism  of  Robes- 
pierre, who,  in  his  turn,  was  anxious  to  get  rid  of  a  dangerous  rival. 
Danton  was  accordingly  denounced  to  the  committee  of  safety  by  St. 
Just,  and  imprisoned  with  his  adherents  in  the  Luxembourg.  When  he 
was  transferred  thence  to  the  Conciergerie,  he  appeared  deeply  mortified 
at  having  been  duped  by  Robespierre.  On  his  trial,  he  said,  composedly, 
"  T  am  Danton,  sufficiently  well  kno^^Ti  in  the  Revolution ;  I  shall  soon 
pass  to  nothingness ;  but  my  name  will  live  in  the  Pantheon  of  history." 
He  was  condemned  to  death  by  the  revolutionary  tribunal  as  an  accom- 
plice in  a  conspiracy  for  the  restoration  of  monarchy,  and  his  large  prop- 
erty was  confiscated.  He  mounted  the  car  with  courage;  his  head  was 
elevated,  his  look  commanding  and  full  of  pride.  On  ascending  the 
scaffold,  he  was  for  a  moment  softened.  ''  Oh,  my  wife,  my  dear  wife, 
shall  I  never  see  you  again  ?"  he  said,  but  checked  himself  hastily,  and 
exclaimed,  "  Courage,  Danton!  no  weakness."  He  was  thirty-five  years 
old  at  the  time  of  his  death. — Encjjclopwdia  Americana. 

During  the  short  period  that  elapsed  before  his  execution,  Danton's 
mind,  in  a  distracted  state,  reverted  to  the  innocence  of  his  earlier  years. 
He  spoke  incessantly  about  trees,  flowers,  and  the  country.  Then  giving 
way  to  unavailing  regret,  he  exclaimed,  "  It  was  just  a  year  ago  that  I 
was  the  means  of  instituting  the  revolutionary  tribunal ;  may  God  and 
man  forgive  me  for  what  I  then  did ;  but  it  was  not  that  it  might  become 

Vol.  II.— M 


470  BIOGRAPHICAL,    SKETCHES. 

the  scourge  of  humanity."  When  his  sentence  was  read  to  him  in  his 
cell,  "  We  are  sacrificed,"  said  Danton,  "  to  a  few  dastardly  brigands,  but 
I  drag  Robespierre  after  me  in  my  fall." — Alison. 

Danton  was  sometimes  denominated  the  Mirabeau,  sometimes  the 
Alcibiades  of  the  rabble.  He  may  be  said  to  have  resembled  both  (mth 
the  differences  only  of  the  patrician  order  and  the  populace) — in  his 
tempestuous  passions,  popular  eloquence,  dissijDation,  and  debts,  like  the 
one ;  his  ambition,  his  daring  and  inventive  genius,  like  the  other.  He 
exerted  his  faculties,  and  indulged  his  voluptuary  indolence  alternately 
and  by  starts.  His  conceptions  were  isolated,  but  complete  in  themselves, 
and  of  terrific  efficacy  as  practical  agents  in  revolutions.  Danton's 
ambition  was  not  personal.  He  would  freely  sacrifice  himself  for  the 
republic  or  his  party.  He  was  inhuman,  not  so  much  from  instinctive 
cruelty,  as  from  a  careless  prodigality  of  blood.  He  viewed  the  Revolu- 
tion as  a  great  game,  in  which  men  played  for  their  lives.  He  took  those 
he  won  as  freely  as  he  would  have  paid  those  he  lost. — British  and 
Foreign  Review. 

I  never  saw  any  countenance  tliat  so  strongly  expressed  the  violence 
of  brutal  passions,  and  the  most  astonishing  audacity,  half-disguised  by  a 
jovial  air,  an  affectation  of  frankness,  and  a  sort  of  simplicity,  as 
Danton's.  In  1789  he  was  a  needy  lawyer,  more  burdened  with  debts 
than  causes.  He  went  to  Belgium  to  augment  his  resources,  and,  after 
August  10,  had  the  hardihood  to  avow  a  fortune  of  £158,333,  and  to 
wallow  in  luxury,  while  preaching  sans-culottism,  and  sleeping  on  heaps 
of  slaughtered  men. — Madame  Boland's  Memoirs. 

DAVID,  Jacques  Louis,  born  at  Paris  in  1741,  a  celebrated  painter, 
elector  of  Paris  in  1792,  was  one  of  the  warmest  friends  of  Robespierre. 
He  voted  for  the  death  of  Louis  XVI.  He  contrived  the  Mountain  on 
which  Robespierre  gave  a  public  festival  in  the  Field  of  Mars.  In  1794 
he  presided  in  the  Convention.  In  1800  the  consuls  made  him  the  na- 
tional artist,  when  he  painted  for  the  Hospital  of  the  Invalids  a  picture 
of  General  Bonaparte.  In  1805  he  was  appointed  to  paint  the  scene 
of  the  Emperor's  coronation.  David  was  unquestionably  the  first  French 
painter  of  the  modern  school ;  and  this  consideration  had  some  weight 
in  obtaining  his  pardon  in  1794,  when  he  had  been  accused  of  being  a 
Terrorist.  A  swelling  which  David  had  in  his  cheeks  rendered  his 
features  hideous. — BiograpMe  Moderne. 

DAVOUST,  Louis  T^icolas,  was  born  at  Annoux,  May  10,  1770, 
of  a  noble  family,  and  studied  with  Bonaparte  in  the  military  school  of 
Brienne.  He  distinguished  himself  under  Dumouriez,  and  in  the  year 
1793  was  made  general.  In  the  Italian  campaigns  under  Napoleon,  he 
zealously  attached  himself  to  the  First  Consul,  whom  he  accompanied  to 
Egypt.  After  the  battle  of  Marengo,  Davoust  was  made  chief  of  the 
grenadiers  of  the  consular  guard.  When  Napoleon  ascended  the  throne 
in  1804  he  created  Davoust  marshal  of  the  empire.  In  1806  he  created 
him  Duke  of  Auerstadt,  and  after  the  peace  of  Tilsit,  commander-in- 


DAXTON. 


BIOGEAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  473 

chief  of  the  army  of  the  Rhine.  Having  had  an  important  share  in 
the  victories  of  Eckmuhl  and  Wagram,  Davoust  was  created  prince 
of  the  former  place.  He  accompanied  Napoleon  to  Kussia;  and 
in  1813  was  besieged  in  Hamburg,  where  he  lost  eleven  thousand  men, 
and  was  accused  of  great  cruelty.  On  the  Emperor's  return  to  Paris, 
in  1815,  he  was  appointed  Minister  of  War.  After  the  battle  of  Water- 
loo he  submitted  to  Louis  XVIII.,  and  was  subsequently  employed  by 
the  court.  Davoust  died  in  the  year  1823,  leaving  a  son  and  two  daugh- 
ters.— Encyclopcedia  Americana. 

DESMOULINS,  Camille,  a  lawyer,  born  at  Guise,  in  Picardy,  in 
1762,  was  the  son  of  the  lieutenant-general  of  the  bailiwick  of  Guise. 
His  appearance  was  vulgar,  his  complexion  swarthy,  and  his  looks  un- 
prepossessing. He  made  his  first  appearance  at  the  bar  to  plead  against 
his  OMTi  father,  whom  he  wanted  to  make  him  a  greater  allowance  than 
he  could  afford.  At  the  very  commencement  of  the  Revolution  he 
formed  an  intimate  acquaintance  with  Robespierre.  In  July,  1789, 
he  harangued  a  large  mob  in  the  Palais  Royal  with  a  brace  of  pistols 
in  his  hand,  and  assumed  the  appellation  of  attorney -general  of  the 
lamp-post.  The  same  year  he  began  his  journal  Les  Revolutions  de 
France  et  de  Brabant,  which  exercised  great  influence  on  the  mob  of 
Paris.  With  Danton  he  joined  the  club  of  the  Cordeliers  in  1790.  He 
married  Lucille  Duplessis,  December  29,  1790.  In  1792  he  was  ap- 
pointed secretary  to  Danton,  and  organized  with  him  the  September 
massacres.  He  asserted  frequently  that  society  consisted  of  two  classes 
of  men — gentlemen  and  sans-culottes ;  and  that,  in  order  to  save  the 
republic,  it  was  necessary  to  take  the  purses  of  the  one,  and  put  arms 
into  the  hands  of  the  other.  His  connection  with  Danton  was  his  ruin; 
and  his  sentence  of  death,  the  word  "  clemency,"  which  he  recommended 
in  his  journal  of  the  "  Old  Cordelier."  He  was  arrested  in  1794,  and 
during  his  imprisonment  he  gave  himself  up  alternately  to  rage  and 
despair.  His  favorite  studies  were  the  works  of  Young  and  Hervey. 
When  led  to  execution,  at  the  age  of  thirty-three,  he  made  the  most  vio- 
lent efforts  to  avoid  getting  into  the  cart.  His  shirt  was  in  tatters,  and 
his  shoulders  bare ;  his  eyes  glared,  and  he  foamed  at  the  mouth,  crying 
out  while  he  ascended  the  scaffold :  "  This,  then,  is  the  reward  reserved 
for  the  first  apostle  of  liberty!  The  monsters  who  assassinate  me  will 
not  survive  me  long."  His  wife,  whom  he  adored,  and  by  whom  he 
was  as  warmly  beloved,  beautiful,  courageous,  and  sensible,  begged  to 
share  his  fate,  and  ten  days  afterwards  Robespierre  sent  her  to  the  scaf- 
fold, where  she  exhibited  much  more  firmness  than  her  husband. — 
Biographie  Moderne. 

Camille  Desmoulins  had  natural  abilities,  some  education,  but  an  ex- 
travagant imagination.  He  stammered  in  his  speech,  and  yet  he 
harangued  the  mob  without  appearing  ridiculous,  such  was  the  influ- 
ence which  the  vehemence  of  his  language  had  over  it.  He  was  fond  of 
pleasure  and  of  amusements  of  all  kinds,  and  professed  a  sincere  ad- 


474  BIOGKAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

miration  of  Robespierre,  who  then  seemed  to  feel  a  friendship  for  him. — 
Memoirs  of  a  Peer  of  France. 

This  brilliant,  but  headstrong  young  man  had  followed  every  early 
movement  of  the  Revolution,  approving  of  all  its  measures  and  all  its 
excesses.  His  heart,  however,  was  kind  and  gentle,  although  his  opin- 
ions had  been  violent,  and  his  pleasantries  often  cruel.  lie  had  ap- 
proved of  the  revolutionary  government,  because  he  had  conceived  it 
indispensable  to  lay  the  foundation  of  the  republic ;  he  had  co-operated 
in  the  ruin  of  the  Gironde,  because  he  feared  the  dissensions  of  the 
republic.  The  republic !  It  was  to  this  he  had  sacrificed  even  his 
scruples  and  liis  sympathies,  his  justice  and  his  humanity.  He  had 
given  everything  to  his  party,  thinking  he  had  given  it  to  his  country. 
In  his  "  Old  Cordelier  "  he  spoke  of  liberty  with  the  profound  sense  of 
Machiavelli ;  and  of  men,  with  the  wit  of  Voltaire. — Mignet. 

DROUET,  Jean  Baptiste,  postmaster  at  St.  Menehould,  was  born 
in  1763.  It  wa^  he  who  recognized  the  King  in  his  flight,  and  caused 
him  to  be  arrested  at  Varennes.  In  1792  he  was  chosen  member  of 
the  Convention  and  voted  for  the  death  of  Louis.  In  the  autumn  of 
the  following  year  he  was  sent  to  the  army  of  the  l^orth,  was  taken 
prisoner,  and  carried  to  Moravia.  In  1795  he  obtained  his  liberty,  and 
entered  the  council  of  Five  Hundred.  Dissatisfied  with  the  moderate 
system  which  then  prevailed  in  France,  he  became,  with  Baboeuf,  one 
of  the  leaders  of  the  Jacobin  conspiracy,  on  which  account  he  was  ar- 
rested, but  made  his  escape  into  Switzerland.  He  Avas  finally  acquitted, 
and  returned  to  France.  During  the  Hundred  Days  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  chamber  of  deputies,  but,  in  1816,  was  banished  from  France 
as  a  regicide. — Encyclopwdia  Americana. 

DUBOIS-CRANCE,  Edmond  Louis  Alexis,  born  at  Charleville  in 
1747,  entered  the  King's  musketeers,  and  became  lieutenant  of  the 
marshals  of  France.  In  1792  he  was  chosen  deputy  to  the  Convention, 
and  on  the  King's  trial,  opposed  the  appeal  to  the  people,  and  voted  for 
his  death.  In  the  following  year  he  was  chosen  president  of  the  Con- 
vention, and  entered  into  the  committee  of  public  safety.  He  contributed 
to  the  fall  of  the  Girondins,  and  afterwards  to  that  of  Robespierre  and  the 
Terrorists.  In  1799  the  Directory  raised  him  to  the  administration  of 
the  war  department,  in  the  place  of  Bernadotte.  He  died  in  1805  at 
an  estate  to  which  he  had  retired. — Bioqrapliie  Moderne. 

DUMONT,  Andiie,  deputy  to  the  Convention,  voted  for  the  King's 
death  without  appeal.  He  persecuted  the  Girondins  with  the  utmost 
severity.  Being  sent  to  the  department  of  the  Somme,  he  caused  two 
hundred  persons,  sixty-four  of  whom  were  priests,  to  be  thrown  into  the 
river.  In  1794  he  declared  violently  against  Robespierre,  and  was 
afterwards  president  of  the  Convention,  and  member  of  the  committee 
of  public  safety.  In  the  December  of  1794,  he  proposed  that  the  pun- 
ishment of  death  should  no  longer  be  inflicted,  except  on  royalists.  In 
the  year  1796  he  was  elected  to  the  council  of  Five  Hundred,  and,  after 


Df;sM(ur.ixs. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  477 

the  18th  Brumaire,  was  appointed  sub-prefect  of  Abbeville. — Biogra- 
phie  Modenie. 

DUMOUKIEZ,  Charles  Francois  Duperier,  was  born  at  Cam- 
bray,  January  25,  1739,  and  descended  from  a  Provencal  family  en- 
gaged in  the  law.  lie  was  fifty  years  of  age  at  the  commencement  of 
the  Revolution.  Up  to  that  time  lie  had  lived  amid  intrigues,  which  he 
was  but  too  fond  of  engaging  in.  The  first  part  of  his  political  life 
was  spent  in  discovering  those  by  whose  help  he  might  rise ;  and  the 
second,  in  discovering  those  who  were  able  to  support  his  elevation. 
A  courtier  before  1789;  a  Constitutional  under  the  first  Assembly;  a 
Girondin  under  the  second;  and  a  Jacobin  under  the  republic,  he  was 
eminently  the  creature  of  the  time.  But  he  had  all  the  resources  of 
great  men;  an  enterprising  disposition,  indefatigable  activity,  and 
prompt,  accurate,  and  extended  views ;  extraordinary  impetuosity  in 
action,  and  unbounded  confidence  in  success.  He  was,  besides,  frank, 
ingenious,  clever,  bold,  equally  fitted  for  the  council  and  the  field ;  full 
of  expedients,  and  knowing  how  to  submit  to  the  misfortune  of  a  difficult 
'position  until  he  could  change  it.  It  must  be  admitted,  however,  that 
these  fine  qualities  were  injured  by  several  defects.  Dumouriez  was 
rash,  thoughtless,  and  extremely  capricious,  in  consequence  of  his  con- 
tinual thirst  for  action.  But  his  great  fault  was  want  of  all  political  prin- 
ciple.    He  died  at  Turville  Park,  England,  iMarch  14,  1823. — Mign&t 

DUSSAULX,  Jean,  born  at  Chartres,  December  28,  1728,  was  the 
son  of  a  lawyer.  He  served  in  the  campaign  of  Hanover,  under  Mar- 
shal Richelieu,  and  gained  the  esteem  of  King  Stanislaus.  Returning 
to  Paris,  he  brought  out  a  translation  of  Juvenal,  and  in  177G  was 
made  a  member  of  the  Academy  of  Inscriptions.  Becoming  a  member 
of  the  Convention,  he  voted  for  the  King's  detention  and  his  banishment 
on  a  peace.  In  1796  he  was  appointed  president  of  the  Council  of 
Ancients.  He  died  in  1799  after  a  long  and  afflicting  illness. — Biogra- 
phie  Modcrne. 

EDGEWORTH  DE  EIRMONT,  Henry  Essex,  father -confessor  of 
Louis  XVI.,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1745,  in  the  village  of  Edgeworths- 
town.  His  father,  an  Episcopalian  clergyman,  adopted  the  Catholic 
faith  with  his  family,  and  went  to  France.  His  piety  and  good  conduct 
obtained  him  the  confidence  of  the  Princess  Elizabeth,  who  chose  him  for 
her  confessor,  and  made  him  knoA^m  to  Louis,  who,  after  his  condemna- 
tion, sent  for  him  to  attend  him  in  his  last  moments.  M.  Edgeworth 
accompanied  the  King  to  the  place  of  execution ;  and,  having  succeeded 
in  escaping  from  France,  arrived  in  England  in  1790.  Pitt  offered  him 
a  pension,  which  he  declined.  He  soon  after  followed  Louis  XYIII. 
to  Blankenburg,  in  Brunswick,  and  thence  to  Mittau.  M.  Edgeworth 
died,  in  1807,  of  a  contagious  fever,  caught  in  attending  to  some  sick 
French  emigrants.  The  Duchess  d'Angouleme  waited  on  him  in  his 
last  moments:  the  royal  family  followed  him  to  the  tomb;  and  Louis 
XVIII.  wrote  his  epitaph. — Encyclopedia  Americana. 


478  BIOGKAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

ELIZABETH,  Philippine  Marie  Helene^  Madame^  sister  to  Louis 
XVL,  was  born  at  Versailles  in  the  year  1764,  She  was  the  young- 
est child  of  Louis,  Dauphin  of  France,  and  Marie  Josephine  of  Saxony. 
At  the  commencement  of  the  Kevolution,  Madame  Elizabeth  saw  with 
terror  the  convocation  of  the  States-General ;  but  when  it  was  found  to 
be  inevitable,  she  devoted  herself  from  that  moment  entirely  to  the 
w^elfare  of  her  brother  and  the  royal  family.  She  was  condemned  to 
death  in  1794,  and  ascended  the  scaftold  wath  twenty-four  other  vic- 
tims, not  one  of  whom  she  knew.  She  was  thirty  years  old  at  the  time 
of  her  execution,  and  demeaned  herself  throughout  with  courage  and 
resignation. — Biographie  Moderne. 

FABKE-D'EGLAKTINE,  Philippe  Francois  :Nazaire,  born  De- 
cember 28,  1755,  was  a  native  of  Carcassone.  He  was  known  at  the 
commencement  of  the  Revolution  by  works  which  had  little  success,  and 
since  that  time,  by  comedies  not  destitute  of  merit ;  but,  above  all,  by 
criminal  conduct  both  as  a  public  and  a  private  man.  Of  low  birth,  he 
possessed  a  vanity  which  rendered  him  intolerable.  He  could  not  endure 
the  nobility.  While  he  was  obliged  to  bend  before  it,  he  was  content 
with  abusing  it,  as  he  could  do  no  more ;  but  when  the  course  of  events 
had  placed  him  in  a  position  to  crush  those  he  hated,  he  rushed  on  them 
with  the  rage  of  a  tiger,  and  tore  them  to  pieces  with  delight.  I  have 
heard  him  say,  nearly  like  Caligula,  that  he  wished  the  nobles  had  but 
one  head,  that  he  might  strike  it  off  at  a  single  blow.  In  1793,  during 
the  trial  of  Louis  XVL,  he  was  solicited  to  be  favorable  to  that  un- 
fortunate prince.  "  You  will  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  doing  a  good  action," 
said  the  applicant.  "  I  know  a  pleasure  far  superior  to  that,"  replied 
Fabre ;  "  it  is  the  pleasure  felt  by  a  commoner  in  condemning  a  king  to 
death." — Memoirs  of  a  Peer  of  France. 

Fabre-d'Eglantine  was  an  ardent  promoter  and  panegyrist  of  the 
revolutionary  system,  and  the  friend,  the  companion,  the  adviser  of  the 
proconsuls,  who  carried  throughout  France,  fire  and  sword,  devastation- 
and  death.  I  do  not  know  whether  his  hands  were  stained  by  the  lavish- 
ing of  money  not  his  own,  but  I  know  that  he  was  a  promoter  of  assassina- 
tions. Poor  before  September  2,  1792,  he  had  afterwards  a  hotel  and 
carriages  and  servants  and  women  ;  his  friend  Lacroix  assisted  him  to 
procure  this  retinue. — Mercier. 

FAVRAS,  Marquis  be,  formerly  lieutenant  of  Monsieur's  Swiss 
guards,  was  condemned  by  the  Chatelet  of  Paris,  on  February  18,  1790, 
for  having  endeavored  to  excite  a  counter-revolutionary  project,  and  for 
having  intended  to  attempt  the  life  of  Lafayette,  Bailly,  and  Necker, 
and  to  carry  off  the  King  and  the  royal  family.  He  was  born  at  Blois ; 
devoted  himself  from  his  earliest  youth  to  the  service,  and  went  into  the 
musketeers  in  1755.  In  1701  he  obtained  a  company  of  dragoons  in  the 
regiment  of  Belsunce ;  and  served  with  distinction  in  the  campaigns  of 
17fi2  and  1708,  after  which  he  was  appointed  adjutant.  In  1772  he  ac- 
quired the  office  of  first  lieutenant  of  Monsieur's  Swiss,  which  conferred 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  4Y9 

the  rank  of  colonel.  In  1786  he  went  to  Vienna  to  get  his  wife  legitima- 
tized, as  only  daughter  of  the  Prince  of  Anhalt-Schaumberg.  In  1787 
he  commanded  a  legion  in  Holland,  at  the  time  of  the  insurrection  against 
the  Stadtholder.  In  1790  he  was  accused  of  having  plotted,  at  Paris, 
against  the  Revolution ;  of  having  wanted  to  introduce  armed  men  into 
Paris  by  night,  in  order  to  destroy  the  three  principal  heads  of  the 
administration ;  of  attacking  the  King's  guard ;  of  taking  away  the  seals 
of  the  state ;  and  even  of  carrying  off  the  King  and  his  family  to  Veronne. 
He  was  summoned  before  the  Chatelet,  and  repelled  all  the  accusations 
brought  against  him  ;  but  his  denials  did  not  prevent  the  judges  from  con- 
demning him.  The  announcement  of  his  sentence  did  not  shake  his 
fortitude;  he  dictated  his  will  with  calmness,  and  paid  great  attention 
to  the  style  of  it.  Favras  was  executed  on  February  11,  1790. — Biogra- 
phic Modcrne. 

FEEAUD,  deputy  to  the  Convention,  voted  for  the  death  of  Louis 
XVI. ;  and  when  the  commune  of  Paris  desired  that  the  Girondins  should 
be  tried,  he  proposed  declaring  that  they  had  not  forfeited  the  confidence 
of  the  Assembly.  These  sentiments  would  have  involved  him  in  their 
ruin,  had  he  not  been  saved  by  a  mission  to  the  army  of  the  Western 
Pyrenees,  where  he  received  a  wound  in  charging  at  the  head  of  the 
columns.  Being  returned  again  to  the  Convention,  he  became  a  partisan 
of  Barras,  and  assisted  him  in  turning  the  armed  force  against  Robes- 
pierre and  his  faction.  When  the  revolt  happened  in  1795,  he  showed 
more  courage  than  any  of  the  other  depaties,  in  opposing  the  Terrorists 
at  the  moment  wdien  they  forced  the  entrance  of  the  hall ;  but  he  became 
the  victim  of  his  valor,  for  after  having  been  abused  by  the  crowd,  he 
received  a  pistol-shot  in  his  breast,  at  the  time  when  he  was  endeavoring 
to  repulse  several  men  who  were  making  towards  the  president.  His 
body  was  immediately  seized  and  dragged  into  an  adjoining  passage, 
where  his  head  was  cut  off,  fixed  on  the  top  of  a  pike,  and  brought  into 
the  hall  to  the  president,  Boissy  d'Anglas,  to  terrify  him  as  well  as  the 
rest  of  the  representatives.    Feraud  was  born  in  the  valley  of  the  Daure, 

FOUCHE,  Josicpir,  born  at  Nantes,  May  29,  1763,  was  intended  for 
his  father's  profession — a  sea  captain;  but,  not  being  strong  enough, 
at  the  foot  of  the  Pyrenees. — Biogvaphie  Modcrne. 

was  sent  to  prosecute  his  studies  at  Paris.  He  then  taught  mathematics 
and  metaphysics  at  Arras  and  elsewhere;  and,  at  twenty-five  years  of 
age,  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  college  of  Xantes.  In  1792  he  was 
chosen  member  of  the  Convention,  where  he  voted  for  the  King's  death ; 
and  was  soon  after  sent  with  Collot-d'Herbois  on  a  mission  to  Lyons. 
On  the  fall  of  Robespierre,  Fouche,  having  been  denounced  as  a  Ter- 
rorist, withdrew  into  obscurity  until  1798,  when  the  Directory  appoint- 
ed him  French  minister  to  the  Cisalpine  republic.  In  the  following 
year  he  was  made  minister  of  police,  and  joined  Bonaparte  on  his  re- 
turn from  Egypt,  who  continued  him  in  his  post,  in  order  that  he  might 
detect  Royalist  and  Jacobin  conspiracies.     In  1809,  Fouche  was  in- 


480  BIOGEAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

trusted  with  the  portfolio  of  the  Interior,  as  well  as  of  the  police,  and 
created  Duke  of  Otranto.  In  the  ensuing  year,  having  given  umbrage 
to  l^apoleon  by  entering  into  negotiations  for  peace  with  the  Marquis 
Welleslev,  he  was  sent  into  honorable  exile  as  governor  of  Rome.  He 
was  soon  recalled  to  France,  and  banished  to  Aix,  where  he  lived  a 
whole  year  retired.  In  1813,  he  was  again  employed  by  Napoleon, 
was  sent  on  a  mission  to  Murat,  and  returned  to  Paris  a  few  days  after 
the  declaration  of  the  senate  that  the  Emperor  had  lost  his  throne. 
During  the  first  restoration  Fouche  lived  partly  retired ;  but,  on  I^apo- 
leon's  return  from  Elba,  the  King  sent  for  him;  he  preferred,  however, 
to  join  the  Emperor,  who  a  third  time  made  him  minister  of  police. 
After  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  the  French  chamber  placed  Eouche  at 
the  head  of  a  provisionary  government,  and  he  was  afterwards  rein- 
stated in  the  police  by  the  King.  He  was  soon,  however,  displaced; 
and,  having  been  compromised  in  the  law  against  regicides  in  1816, 
retired  to  Trieste,  where  he  died  in  1820.  Fouche's  countenance  was 
expressive  of  penetration  and  decision.  He  was  of  the  middle  size, 
rather  thin,  of  firm  health  and  strong  nerves.  The  tones  of  his  voice 
were  somewhat  hollow  and  harsh;  in  speech  he  was  vehement  and  lively; 
in  his  appearance  plain  and  simple. — Encyclopcedia  Americana. 

Fouche  is  a  miscreant  of  all  colors,  a  priest,  a  Terrorist,  and  one  who 
took  an  active  part  in  many  bloody  scenes  of  the  Revolution.  He  is  a 
man,  continued  Bonaparte,  who  can  worm  all  your  secrets  out  of  you 
with  an  air  of  calmness  and  unconcern.  He  is  very  rich,  but  his  riches 
have  been  badly  acquired.  He  never  was  my  confidant.  ISTever  did  he 
approach  me  without  bending  to  the  ground;  but  I  never  had  esteem 
for  him.  I  employed  him  merely  as  an  instrument. — A  Voice  from 
St.  Helena. 

Fouche  never  regarded  a  benefit  in  any  otlier  light  than  as  a  means  of 
injuring  his  benefactor.  He  had  opinions,  but  he  belonged  to  no  party, 
and  his  political  success  is  explained  by  the  readiness  with  which  he 
always  served  the  party  he  knew  must  triumph,  and  which  he  himself 
overthrew  in  its  turn.  It  might  be  said  that  his  ruling  passion  was 
the  desire  of  continual  change.  N^o  man  was  ever  characterized  by 
greater  levity  or  inconstancy  of  mind. — Bourrienne. 

FOUQUIER-TINVILLE,  Antoine  Quentin,  born  at  St.  Quentin 
in  1Y47,  the  son  of  a  farmer,  was  first  an  attorney  at  the  Chatelet,  but 
having  dissipated  his  property,  he  lost  his  place,  and  became  a  bank- 
rupt. In  1793  he  was  appointed  head  juryman  of  the  revolutionary 
tribunal,  and  caused  the  Queen  to  be  condemned  to  death;  but  in  the 
year  1795  was  himself  condemned  and  executed,  for  having  caused 
the  destruction  of  an  innumerable  multitude  of  French  persons,  under 
pretence  of  conspiracies;  for  having  caused  between  sixty  and  eighty 
individuals  to  be  tried  in  four  hours;  for  having  caused  carts  which 
were  ready  beforehand,  to  be  loaded  with  victims  whose  very  names 
were  not  mentioned,  and  against  whom  no  depositions  were  made,  and 


KOrQUIEU-TTXVILLE. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  483 

for  having  constituted  a  jury  of  his  own  adherents.  It  would  be  impos- 
sible to  detail  all  his  atrocities,  but  a  few  instances  will  convey  an  idea 
of  his  character.  At.  de  Gamache  was  brought  into  court,  but  the  officer 
declared  that  he  was  not  the  person  accused.  "  Never  mind,"  said 
Fouquier,  "  bring  him  nevertheless."  A  moment  after,  the  real  Gamache 
appeared,  and  both  were  at  once  condemned  and  executed.  Sixty  or 
eighty  unhappy  wretches  were  often  confounded  in  the  same  accusa- 
tion, though  they  had  never  seen  one  another,  and  when  Fouquier  w^ished 
to  despatch  them  in  the  mass,  he  merely  said  to  the  jury,  "  I  think, 
citizens,  that  you  are  convinced  of  the  guilt  of  the  accused."  When 
this  hint  was  thrown  out,  the  jury  would  declare  themselves  sufficiently 
enlightened,  and  condemn  all  the  accused  in  the  gross,  without  hearing 
one  of  them.  Fouquier-Tinville  was  accustomed  to  frequent  a  coffee- 
house in  the  Palace  of  Justice,  where  the  judges  and  jurymen  of  his 
tribunal  met.  There  they  reckoned  the  number  of  heads  which  had 
fallen  in  the  course  of  the  decade.  "  ^^^lat  do  you  think  I  have  gained 
to-day  for  the  republic  ?"  Some  of  the  guests,  to  pay  court  to  him, 
would  answer,  "  So  many  millions,"  when  he  would  immediately  add, 
"  In  the  next  decade  I  shall  undress  three  or  four  hundred,"  meaning, 
guillotine  them.  A  considerable  number  of  victims  were  one  day  met 
on  their  way  home  from  the  tribunal  by  Fouquier,  who  had  not  been 
present  at  their  trial;  he  asked  the  jury  on  what  crime  they  had  been 
pronouncing  sentence.  They  did  not  know,  they  said,  but  he  might  run 
after  the  condemned  persons,  and  inquire,  upon  which  they  all  burst 
into  laughter.  "Wlien  he  was  himself  led  to  execution,  after  the  fall  of 
Eobespierre,  Fouquier-Tinville's  forehead,  hard  as  marble,  defied  all 
the  eyes  of  the  multitude ;  he  was  even  seen  to  smile  and  utter  threaten- 
ing W'Ords.  He  trembled,  however,  as  he  ascended  the  scaffold,  and 
seemed  for  the  first  time  to  feel  remorse.  He  had  a  round  head,  black 
straight  hair,  a  narrow  and  wan  forehead,  small  round  eyes,  a  full  face 
marked  with  the  small-pox,  a  look  sometimes  fixed,  sometimes  oblique, 
a  middling  stature,  and  thick  legs. — Biographie  Moderne. 

Fouquier-Tinville,  who  was  excessively  artful,  quick  in  attributing 
guilt,  and  skilled  in  controverting  facts,  showed  immovable  presence  of 
mind  on  his  trial.  While  standing  before  the  tribunal  from  which  he 
had  condemned  so  many  victims,  he  kept  constantly  writing;  but,  like 
Argus,  all  eyes  and  ears,  he  lost  not  while  he  wrote,  one  single  word 
uttered  by  the  president,  by  an  accused  person,  by  a  judge,  by  a  wit- 
ness, or  by  a  public  accuser.  He  affected  to  sleep  during  the  public 
accuser's  recapitulation,  as  if  to  feign  tranquillity,  while  he  had  hell  in 
his  heart.  'No  eye  but  must  involuntarily  fall  before  his  steadfast 
gaze;  when  he  prepared  to  speak,  he  frowned;  his  brow  was  furrowed; 
his  voice  was  rough,  loud,  and  menacing;  he  carried  audacity  to  the 
utmost  in  his  denial ;  and  showed  equal  address  in  altering  facts  and 
rendering  them  independent  of  each  other,  and  especially  in  judiciously 
placing  his  alibis. — Mercier. 


484:  BIOGKAPIIICAL    SKETCHES. 

Fouquier-Tinville  was  the  public  accuser  in  the  revolutionary  tri- 
bunal, and  his  name  soon  became  as  terrible  as  that  of  Robespierre 
to  all  France.  He  was  born  in  Picardj,  and  exhibited  a  combination 
of  qualities  so  extraordinary  that  if  it  had  not  been  established  by 
undoubted  testimony,  it  would  have  been  deemed  fabulous.  Justice  in 
his  eyes  consisted  in  condemning;  an  acquittal  was  the  source  of  pro- 
found vexation ;  he  was  never  happy  unless  when  he  had  secured  the 
conviction  of  all  the  accused.  He  required  no  species  of  recreation; 
women,  the  pleasures  of  the  table  or  of  the  theatre,  were  alike  indiffer- 
ent to  him.  Sober  and  sparing  in  diet,  he  never  indulged  in  excess, 
excepting  when  with  the  judges  of  the  revolutionary  tribunal,  when  he 
would  at  times  give  way  to  intemperance.  His  power  of  undergoing 
fatigue  was  unbounded.  The  sole  recreation  which  he  allowed  himself 
was  to  behold  his  victims  perish  on  the  scaffold.  He  confessed  that  that 
object  had  great  attractions  for  him.  He  might  during  the  period  of 
his  power  have  amassed  an  immense  fortune ;  he  remained  to  the  last 
poor,  and  his  wife  is  said  to  have  died  of  famine.  His  lodgings  were 
destitute  of  every  comfort;  their  whole  furniture,  after  his  death,  did 
not  sell  for  twenty  pounds.  ISTo  seduction  could  influence  him.  He  was 
literally  a  bar  of  iron  against  all  the  ordinary  desires  of  men.  Nothing 
roused  his  mind  but  the  prospect  of  inflicting  death,  and  then  his  anima- 
tion v/as  such  that  his  countenance  became  radiant  and  expressive. — 
Alison. 

FKERON,  Louis  Stanislas,  born  at  Paris  in  1757,  was  son  of  the 
journalist  Freron,  the  antagonist  of  Voltaire  and  of  the  philosophic 
sect.  Brought  up  at  the  college  Louis-le-Grand  with  Robespierre,  he 
becaine  in  the  Revolution  his  friend,  his  emulator,  and,  at  last,  his  de- 
nouncer. In  1789  he  began  to  edit  the  Orator  of  the  People,  and  became 
the  coadjutor  of  Marat.  Being  sent  with  Barras  on  a  mission  to  the 
South,  he  displayed  extreme  cruelty  and  activity.  On  their  arrival  at 
^larseilles,  in  1793,  they  published  a  proclamation  announcing  that 
Terror  was  the  order  of  the  day,  and  that  to  save  Marseilles,  and  to 
raze  Toulon,  were  the  aims  of  their  labors.  "  Things  go  on  well  here," 
v/rote  Freron  to  Moses  Bayle ;  ''  we  have  required  twelve  thousand 
masons  to  raze  the  town ;  every  day  since  our  arrival  we  have  caused 
two  hundred  heads  to  fall,  and  already  eight  hundred  Toulonese  have 
been  shot.  All  the  great  measures  have  been  neglected  at  Marseilles ; 
if  they  had  only  shot  eight  hundred  conspirators,  as  has  been  done 
here,  and  had  appointed  a  committee  to  condemn  the  rest,  we  should 
not  have  been  in  the  condition  we  now  are."  It  was  at  first  intended 
to  put  to  death  all  who  had  accepted  any  office,  or  borne  arms,  in  the 
town  during  the  siege.  Freron  consequently  signified  to  them  that  they 
must  all  go,  under  pain  of  death,  to  the  Champ  de  Mars.  The  Toulon- 
ese, thinking  to  obtain  pardon  by  their  submission,  obeyed,  and  eight 
thousand  persons  were  assembled  at  the  appointed  place.  All  the  rep- 
resentatives  (Barras,  Salicetti,  Ricord,  Robespierre  the  younger,  etc.) 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCILES. 


485 


were  shocked  at  the  siglit  of  this  multitude;  Freron  himself,  surrounded 
by  a  formidable  train,  saw  these  numerous  victims  with  terror;  at  last, 
by  the  advice  of  Barras,  a  jury  was  appointed,  and  a  great  number  of 
the  most  guilty  instantly  shot.     The  shooting  with  muskets  being  in- 
sufFjcient,  they"  had  afterwards  recourse  to  the  mitraillade;  and  it  was 
in  another  execution  of  this  nature  that  Freron,  in  order  to  despatch 
the  victims  who  had  not  perished  by  the  first  discharge,  cried  out,  "  Let 
those  who  are  still  living,  rise;  the  republic  pardons  them."     Sonie  un- 
hai)py  creatures  trusting  to  this  promise,  he  caused  them  to  be  imme- 
diately fired  upon.    On  quitting  Toulon,  Freron  went  with  his  coadjutors 
to  finish  the  depopulation  of  Marseilles,  which  they  declared  a  coni- 
inune  without  a  name,  and  where  they  destroyed  more  than  400  indi- 
viduals, by  means  of  a  criminal  tribunal,  and  afterwards  of  a  military 
committee.     At  the  same  time  they  caused  the  finest  edifices  of  the  city 
to  be  destroyed.     Eeturning  from  his  proconsnlship,  Freron  soon  be- 
came an  object  of  suspicion  to  Kobespierre,  whom  he  attacked  in  return, 
and  contributed  greatly  to  his  ruin.     From  this  period  he  showed  him- 
self the  enemy  of  the  Terrorists,  and  pursued  them  with  a  fury  worthy 
of  a  former  companion.     Tie  proposed  in  the  Convention  that  death 
should  no  longer  be  inflicted  for  revolutionary  crimes,  except  for  emi- 
gration, promotion  of  the  royal  cause,  and  military  treason,  and  that 
transportation  should  be  substituted  instead.     At  the  time  of  the  expe- 
dition to  St.  Domingo  in  1802,  Freron  was  appointed  prefect  of  the 
South,  and  went  with  General  Leclerc ;  but  he  sank  under  the  influence  of 
the  climate,  after  an  illness  of  six  days. — Biorjraphie  Moderne. 

GARAT,  Dominique  Joseph,  the  younger,  born  at  Bayonne,  Septem- 
ber 8,  1749,  was  a  man  of  letters,  a  member  of  the  institute,  and  pro- 
fessor of  history  in  the  Lyceum  of  Paris.  In  1792  he  was  appointed 
minister  of  justice,  and  commissioned  to  inform  Louis  of  his  con- 
demnation. In  the  following  year  he  became  ministei  of  the  interior. 
Garat  survived  all  the  perils  of  the  Revolution,  and,  in  1806,  he  pro- 
nounced in  the  senate  one  of  the  most  eloquent  speeches  that  were  ever 
made  on  the  victories  of  the  Emperor  Napoleon.  Garat  published  sev- 
eral works  on  the  Revolution.  lie  died  December  9,  -[S^iS.— Biographic 
Moderne. 

GOBEL,  J.  B.,  Bishop  of  Lydda,  suffragan  of  the  Bishop  of  Bale, 
and  deputy  to  the  States-Oonornl,  embraced  the  popular  party,  and  be- 
came odious  and  often  ridiculous  during  the  Revolution.  Though  born 
Avith  some  abilities,  his  age  and  his  weak  eharacter  made  him  the  mere 
tool  of  the  conspirators.  In  1791  he  was  appointed  constitutional 
Bishop  of  Paris,  and  was  the  consecrator  of  the  new  bishops.  Being 
admitted  into  the  Jacobin  club,  he  distinguished  himself  by  his  vio- 
lent motions,  and  was  one  of  the  first  to  assume  the  dress  of  a  sans- 
culotte. IFe  did  not  even  fear,  at  the  age  of  seventy,  to  declare  at  the 
bar  of  the  Convention,  that  the  religion  wliidi  ho  had  professed  from 
his  youth  was  founded  on  error  and  falsehood,     lie  was  one  of  the  first 


486  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

who  sacrificed  to  the  goddess  of  Reason,  and  lent  his  church  for  this 
absurd  festival.  This  farce  soon  became  the  pretext  for  his  ruin.  He 
Avas  arrested  as  an  accomplice  of  the  faction  of  the  atheists,  and  con- 
demned to  death  in  1794.  Gobel  was  born  at  Hanne,  in  the  department 
of  the  Upper  Rhine.  During  his  confinement,  he  devoted  himself  again 
to  his  former  religious  exercises ;  and,  on  his  road  to  the  scaffold,  earnest- 
ly recited  the  praj'ers  of  the  dying. — Biographie  Moderne. 

Terrified  by  a  night-scene,  which  David,  Clootz,  and  Peraud,  ex-mem- 
ber for  the  department,  and  a  professed  atheist,  had  played  off  in  his 
apartment,  Gobel  went  to  the  Assembly  at  the  head  of  his  staff — that  is 
to  say,  of  his  grand  vicars — to  abjure  the  Catholic  worship.  Gobel  at 
heart  was  certainly  nothing  less  than  a  freethinker. — Prudhomme. 

GROUCHY,  Emanuel,  Count  de,  born  at  Paris,  October  23,  1769, 
entered  the  army  at  the  age  of  fourteen.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Revolution,  he  showed  his  attachment  to  liberal  principles,  and  served  in 
the  campaign  of  1792  as  commander  of  a  regiment  of  dragoons.  He  was 
afterwards  sent  to  La  Vendee,  where  he  distinguished  himself  on 
several  occasions.  In  1797  he  was  appointed  second  in  command  of  the 
army  destined  for  the  invasion  of  Ireland,  but  was  compelled  to  return 
to  France  without  effecting  anything.  In  1799  he  contributed  to  Mo- 
reau's  victories  in  Germany,  and  the  battle  of  Hohenlinden  was  gained 
chiefly  by  his  skill  and  courage.  During  the  campaign  in  Russia, 
Grouchy  commanded  one  of  the  three  cavalry  corps  of  the  grand  army; 
and  was  rewarded  with  the  marshal's  baton  for  his  brilliant  services  in 
the  campaign  of  1814.  After  the  restoration,  he  joined  N^apoleon  on 
his  return  from  Elba,  and  was  accused  by  him  of  being  the  author  of 
the  defeat  at  Waterloo,  by  permitting  two  divisions  of  the  Prussian  army 
under  Bliicher  to  join  the  English  forces.  Grouchy  was  afterwards 
ordered  to  be  arrested  by  the  ordinance  of  1815,  in  consequence  of  which 
he  retired  to  the  United  States,  where  he  remained  until  he  received  per- 
mission to  return  to  France.  He  died  May  29,  1847. — Encyclopcedia 
Americana. 

GUADET,  Marguerite  Elie,  born  at  St.  Emilion  in  1758,  a  lawyer, 
president  of  the  criminal  tribunal  of  the  Gironde,  was  deputed  by  that 
department  to  the  legislature,  and  was  looked  up  to  by  the  Girondists 
as  one  of  their  leaders.  He  voted  for  the  death  of  Louis,  but  for  de- 
laying his  execution.  Involved  in  the  fall  of  his  party,  he  was  executed 
at  Bordeaux,.  July  17,  1794,  in  the  thirty-fifth  year  of  his  age.  Wlien 
he  was  led  to  the  scaffold,  he  wanted  to  harangue  the  people,  but  the 
roll  of  the  drums  drowned  his  voice,  and  nothing  could  be  heard  but  the 
words,  "  People,  behold  the  sole  resource  of  tyrants !  They  drown  the 
voices  of  free  men  that  they  may  commit  their  crimes." — Biographie 
Moderne. 

Guadet  found  a  place  of  safety  for  some  of  his  Girondin  friends  in 
the  house  of  one  of  his  female  relations,  whose  name  was  Bouquet.  The 
news  of  this  unexpected  relief  being  carried  to  three  companions  of 


BIOGKAPIIICAL    SKETCHES.  487 

those  proscribed  deputies,  they  determined  to  beg  this  courageous  woman 
to  permit  them  to  share  the  retreat  of  their  friends.  She  consented,  and 
they  reached  her  house  at  midnight,  wliere  tliey  found  their  companions 
lodged  thirty  feet  under  ground,  in  a  large,  well-concealed  vault.  A 
few  days  after,  Buzot  and  Petion  informed  Guadet  by  letter,  that, 
having  within  fifteen  days  changed  their  place  of  retreat  seven  times, 
they  were  now  reduced  to  the  greatest  distress.  '*'  Let  them  come  too," 
said  Madame  Bouquet,  and  they  came  accordingly.  The  difficulty  to 
provide  for  them  all  was  now  great,  for  provisions  were  extremely  scarce 
in  the  department.  ^Madame  Bouquet's  house  was  allowed  by  the  munici- 
pality only  one  pound  of  bread  daily;  but,  fortunately,  she  had  a  stock 
of  potatoes  and  dried  kidney-beans.  Madame  Bouquet  concealed  as 
long  as  she  could  from  her  guests  the  uneasiness  which  consumed  her, 
occasioned  by  one  of  her  relations,  formerly  the  friend  of  Guadet.  This 
man,  having  learned  what  passed  in  Madame  Bouquet's  house,  put  in 
action  every  means  his  mind  could  suggest  to  induce  her  to  banish 
the  fugitives.  Every  day  he  came  to  her  with  stories  more  terrible  one 
than  the  other.  At  length,  fearing  that  he  would  take  some  desper- 
ate measure,  she  was  compelled  to  lay  her  situation  before  her  guests, 
who,  resolved  not  to  be  outdone  in  generosity,  instantly  quitted  her 
house.  Shortly  after,  Madame  Bouquet  and  the  whole  family  of 
Guadet  were  arrested,  and  perished  on  the  scaffold. — Anecdotes  of  the 
Revolution. 

HEBERT,  Jacques  Rene,  born  at  Alen§on  about  1755,  was  naturally 
of  an  active  disposition  and  an  ardent  imagination,  but  wholly  without 
information.  Before  the  Revolution,  he  lived  in  Paris  by  intrigue  and 
imposture.  Being  employed  at  the  theatre  of  the  Varietes  as  receiver 
of  the  checks,  he  was  dismissed  for  dishonesty,  and  retired  to  the  house 
of  a  physician  whom  he  robbed.  In  1789,  he  embraced  with  ardor  the 
popular  party,  and  soon  made  himself  known  by  a  journal  entitled 
"  Father  Duchesne,"  which  had  the  greatest  success  among  the  people 
on  account  of  the  violence  of  its  ju-inciples.  On  August  10th,  Ilebert  be- 
came one  of  the  members  of  the  insurrectional  municipality,  and  after- 
wards, in  September,  contributed  to  the  prison  massacres.  He  was  one 
of  the  first  to  preach  atlieism,  and  organize  the  Festivals  of  Reason.  His 
popularity,  however,  was  brief,  for  he  was  brought  to  the  scaffold,  to- 
gether with  his  whole  faction,  by  Robespierre,  ^Tareh  24,  1704.  He  died 
with  the  greatest  marks  of  weakness,  and  fainted  several  times  on  his 
road  to  execution.  On  all  sides  he  heard,  "  Father  Duchesne  is  very 
uneasy,  and  will  be  very  angry  when  Samson  (the  executioner)  makes 
him  tipsy."  A  young  man,  whose  entire  family  he  had  destroyed,  called 
out  to  him,  "  To-day  is  the  great  anger  of  Father  Duchesne!"  On  the 
occasion  of  the  Queen's  trial,  Hebert  cast  an  imputation  on  her,  of  so 
atrocious  and  extravagant  a  nature,  that  even  Robespierre  was  disgusted 
with  it,  and  exclaimed,  "  ]\radman !  Avas  it  not  enough  for  him  to  have 
asserted  that  she  was  a  Messalina,  without  also  making  an  Agrippina  of 


488  BIOGKAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

her  ?"  Hebert  married  a  nun,  who  was  guillotined  with  Chaumette  and 
the  rest  of  the  faction  of  the  commune. — Biographie  Modeme. 

HEXRIOT,  Francois^  born  at  Nanterre  in  1761,  was  the  offspring 
of  parents  who  were  poor,  but  maintained  an  irreproachable  character, 
residing  in  Paris.  In  his  youth  he  was  footman  to  a  counsellor  of  parlia- 
ment. Pie  made  no  conspicuous  figure  in  the  early  period  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, but  rose  by  degrees  to  be  commandant  of  his  section,  and  distin- 
guished himself  by  his  cruelty  in  the  September  massacres.  At  the 
time  of  the  contest  between  the  Mountain  and  the  Girondins,  Henriot, 
to  serve  the  purposes  of  his  party,  was  raised  to  the  command  of  the 
national  guard.  When  the  fall  of  Robespierre  was  in  agitation,  he  also 
was  denounced,  and,  after  in  vain  endeavoring  to  enlist  the  soldiers 
in  his  cause,  he  took  refuge  with  the  rest  of  the  faction  at  the  Hotel  de 
Ville.  The  danger  of  their  situation  enraged  Cofinhal  to  such  a  degree, 
that  he  threw  Henriot  out  of  a  window  into  the  street,  who,  dreadfully 
bruised  by  his  fall,  crept  into  a  common  sewer,  where  he  was  discovered 
by  some  soldiers,  who  struck  him  with  their  bayonets,  and  thrust  out  one 
of  his  eyes,  which  hung  by  the  ligaments  down  his  cheek.  He  was  exe- 
cuted the  same  day  with  Robespierre  and  the  rest  of  his  associates.  He 
went  to  the  scaffold  with  no  other  dress  than  his  under-waistcoat,  all 
over  filth  from  the  sewer,  and  blood  from  his  own  wounds.  As  he  was 
about  to  ascend  the  scaffold  a  bystander  snatched  out  the  eye  which  had 
been  displaced  from  its  socket!  Henriot  suffered  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
five. — Adolphus. 

Henriot  was  clerk  of  the  Barriers,  but  was  driven  thence  for  theft. 
He  was  then  received  by  the  police  into  the  number  of  its  spies,  and  was 
again  sent  to  the  Bicetre,  which  he  quitted  only  to  be  flogged  and 
branded ;  at  last,  passing  over  the  piled  corpses  of  September,  where  he 
drank  of  Madame  de  Lamballe's  blood,  he  made  himself  a  way  to  the 
generalship  of  June  2d,  and  finally  to  the  scaffold. — Prudhomme. 

HERAULT  DE  SECHELLES,  Marie  Jean,  born  at  Paris  in  1760, 
began  his  career  at  the  bar  by  holding  the  office  of  the  King's  advocate 
at  the  Chatelet.  In  the  house  of  Madame  de  Polignac,  where  he  visited, 
he  met  the  Queen,  who,  delighted  with  his  conversation,  promised  to  be- 
friend him.  Having  eagerly  embraced  revolutionary  notions,  he  was 
appointed  commissioner  of  government  to  the  tribunal  of  cassation,  and 
was  afterwards  deputed  to  the  original  legislature,  as  also  to  the  Con- 
vention, on  becoming  a  member  of  which,  he  joined  the  revolutionary 
part  of  that  body  with  uncommon  ardor.  Herault  was  absent  from  Paris 
during  the  King's  trial,  but  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Convention  declaring 
that  he  deserved  death.  In  the  contest  that  afterwards  took  place  be- 
tween the  Mountain  and  the  Gironde,  Herault  figured  in  the  Convention 
among  the  most  conspicuous  and  zealous  supporters  of  the  former  faction. 
Having  made  himself  obnoxious  to  Robespierre,  he  was  sentenced  to 
death,  April  5,  1794.  He  then  gave  himself  up  for  a  time  to  gloomy  re- 
flections, walked  for  above  two  hours  with  the  other  captives  in  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  491 

prison,  while  waiting  the  moment  of  execution,  and  took  leave  of  them 
with  great  tranquillity.  Herault  enjoyed  a  very  considerable  fortune ; 
his  figure  was  elegant,  his  countenance  pleasing,  and  his  dress  studied, 
which,  during  the  reign  of  sans-culuttism,  drew  on  him  many  sarcasms 
from  his  colleagues.  In  the  midst  of  the  blood  and  tears  which  drenched 
France  in  1793,  he  still  found  leisure  for  gallantry  and  poetry,  which 
made  no  slight  impression  on  the  young  and  beautiful  wife  of  Camille- 
Desmoulins. — Blogniphie  Modcrne. 

Herault  de  Sechelles  was  the  legislator  of  the  Mountain,  as  Condorcet 
had  been  of  the  Gironde.  With  the  ideas  whicli  prevailed  at  this  period, 
the  nature  of  the  ncAV  constitution  may  be  easily  conceived.  It  estab- 
lished the  pure  government  of  the  multitude;  not  only  were  the  people 
acknowledged  to  be  the  source  of  all  power,  but  the  exercise  of  that 
power  was  delegated  to  them.  As  the  constitution  thus  made  over  the 
government  to  the  multitude,  as  it  placed  the  power  in  a  disorganized 
body,  it  would  have  been  at  all  times  impracticable;  but,  at  a  period  of 
general  warfare,  it  was  peculiarly  so.  Accordingly,  it  was  no  sooner 
made  than  suspended. — Mignet. 

HOCITE,  Lazare^  general  in  the  French  revolutionary  war,  was  born 
February  24,  1764,  at  Montreuil,  near  Versailles,  where  his  father  was 
keeper  of  the  King's  hounds.  He  entered  the  army  in  his  sixteenth  year. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  Kevolution  he  joined  the  popular  party,  and 
studied  military  science  Math  great  diligence.  lie  was  not  twenty-four 
years  old  when  he  received  the  command  of  the  army  of  the  Moselle.  He 
defeated  "Wurmser,  and  drove  the  xVustrians  out  of  Alsace.  His  frank- 
ness displeased  St.  Just,  who  deprived  him  of  his  command,  and  sent 
him  a  prisoner  to  Paris.  The  revolution  of  the  9th  Thermidor  saved 
him  from  the  guillotine.  In  1795  Hoche  was  employed  against  the 
royalists  in  the  West,  where  he  displayed  great  ability  and  humanity. 
He  was  the  chief  pacificator  of  La  Vendee.  He  afterwards  sailed  for 
Ireland,  but  his  scheme  of  exciting  a  disturbance  there  failed.  On  his 
return  he  received  the  command  of  the  army  of  the  Sambre  and  Meuse, 
in  which  capacity  he  was  frequently  victorious  over  the  enemy.  Hoche 
died  suddenly,  September  IS,  1797,  at  Wetzlar,  it  was  supposed  at  the 
time  of  poison. — Encyclopcedia  Americana. 

The  death  of  Hoche  may  be  regarded  as  an  event  in  our  Revolution. 
With  his  military  talent  he  combined  extensive  abilities  of  various 
kinds ;  and  was  a  citizen  as  well  as  a  soldier.  When  his  death  was  made 
known,  the  public  voice  rose  in  an  accusing  outcry  against  the  Directory. 
I  am  satisfied  that  Hoche  was  the  constant  object  of  the  hatred  of  a 
party,  then  unfortunately  powerful,  though  acting  in  the  shade.  I 
entertain  a  firm  conviction  also  that  he  died  by  assassination. — Duchess 
d'Ahrantes. 

Hoche,  said  Bonaparte,  was  one  of  the  first  generals  that  ever  France 
produced.  He  was  brave,  intelligent,  abounding  in  talent,  decisive,  and 
penetrating.     If  he  had  landed  in  Ireland  he  would  have  succeeded. 


492  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

He  was  accustomed  to  civil  war,  had  pacified  La  Vendee  and  was  well 
adapted  for  Ireland.  He  had  a  fine,  handsome  figure,  a  good  address, 
and  was  prepossessing  and  intriguing. — A  Voice  from  St.  Helena. 

Young  Hoclie  was  every  way  qualified  for  the  important  but  difficult 
duty  with  which  he  was  charged — the  pacification  of  La  Vendee.  En- 
dowed by  nature  with  a  clear  judgment,  an  intrepid  character,  and  an 
unconquerable  resolution,  firm,  sagacious,  and  humane,  he  was  eminently 
fitted  for  that  mixture  of  gentleness  and  resolution  which  is  necessary 
to  heal  the  wounds  and  subdue  the  passions  of  civil  war.  This  rare 
combination  of  civil  and  military  qualities  might  have  rendered  him  a 
formidable  rival  of  Napoleon,  and  possibly  endangered  the  public  peace, 
had  he  not  united  to  these  shining  parts  a  patriotic  heart  and  a  love  of 
liberty,  which  rendered  him  superior  to  all  temptation ;  and  more  likely, 
had  he  lived,  to  have  followed  the  example  of  Washington,  than  the  foot- 
steps of  Ca?sar  or  Cromwell. — Alison. 

It  is  a  curious  subject  for  speculation  what  might  have  been  the  result, 
had  Hoche  succeeded  in  landing  with  16,000  of  his  best  troops  on  the 
Irish  shores.  To  those  who  consider  indeed  the  patriotic  spirit,  in- 
domitable valor,  and  persevering  character  of  the  English  people,  and 
the  complete  command  they  had  of  the  sea,  the  final  issue  of  such  a  con- 
quest cannot  appear  doubtful ;  but  it  is  equally  evident  that  the  addition 
of  such  a  force  and  so  able  a  commander  to  the  numerous  bodies  of  Irish 
malcontents  would  have  engendered  a  dreadful  domestic  war,  and  that 
the  whole  energies  of  the  Empire  might  for  a  very  long  period  have  been 
employed  in  saving  itself  from  dismemberment. — Alison. 

ISNARD,  M.,  a  wholesale  perfumer  at  Draguignan,  was  deputed  from 
Var  to  the  legislature,  and  afterwards  to  the  Convention.  His  father, 
who  was  rich,  had  taken  great  pains  with  his  education.  In  1793  he 
voted  for  the  King's  death,  observing,  that  "  were  the  lightnings  of 
heaven  in  his  hands,  he  would  blast  with  them  all  those  who  should  attack 
the  sovereignty  of  the  people."  Isnard  was  outlawed  as  a  Girondin, 
on  the  fall  of  that  party,  but  succeeded  in  making  his  escape,  and,  after 
the  overthrow  of  the  Mountaineers,  resumed  his  seat  in  the  Convention. 
Being  then  sent  to  the  department  of  the  Benches  du  Rhone,  he  there 
declaimed  vehemently  against  the  Terrorists,  who  afterwards  accused 
him  of  having  encouraged  the  bloody  reprisals  made  on  them  in  the 
South,  and  of  having  addressed  the  people  as  follows:  "If  you  meet 
any  Terrorists,  strike  them,  if  you  have  not  arms,  you  have  sticks,  if  you 
have  not  sticks,  dig  up  your  parents,  and  with  their  bones  knock  down 
the  monsters!"  In  1796,  Isnard  became  a  member  of  the  council  of 
Five  Hundred. — Biographie  Moderne. 

JOUBERT,  Bartiielemy  Catherine,  born  at  Pont-de-Vaux,  April 
14,  1767,  had  studied  for  the  bar,  but  at  the  Revolution  he  was  induced 
to  adopt  the  profession  of  arms.  He  was  tall,  thin,  and  naturally  of  a 
weak  constitution,  but  he  had  strengthened  his  frame  amid  fatigues, 
camps,  and  mountain  warfare.     He  was  intrepid,  vigilant,  and  active. 


BIOGEAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  493 

In  1796  he  was  made  a  general  of  division.  He  was  much  attached  to 
Napoleon.  He  fell  gloriously  at  the  battle  of  Novi,  August  1 5,  1799. — 
Ilazlitt. 

JOURDAN,  Jean  Baptiste,  born  April  2,  1762,  at  Limoges,  where 
his  father  practised  as  a  surgeoD,  entered  the  army  in  1778,  and  fought 
in  America.  After  the  peace  he  employed  himself  in  commerce.  In 
1793  lie  was  appointed  general  of  division,  and,  in  the  battle  of  Hondt- 
schoote,  mounted  the  enemy's  works  at  the  head  of  his  troops,  and  after- 
wards received  the  command  of  the  army  in  the  place  of  Houchard. 
In  1794  he  gained  the  victory  of  the  Fleurus,  by  which  he  became  mas- 
ter of  Belgium,  and  drove  the  allies  behind  the  Rhine.  In  1796  he 
undertook  the  celebrated  invasion  of  the  right  bank  of  the  Rhine,  in 
wbiVli  he  conquered  Franconia,  and  pressed  forward  towards  Bohemia 
and  Ratisbon.  The  Archduke  Charles,  however,  defeated  him,  and 
his  retreat  became  a  disorderly  flight,  whereupon  Beurnonville  took  the 
command,  and  Jourdan  retired  to  Limoges  as  a  private  individual.  In 
1797  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  council  of  Five  Hundred,  and  was 
twice  their  president,  remaining  a  stanch  friend  to  the  republic.  After 
the  revolution  of  the  ISth  Brumaire,  which  he  opposed,  he  received 
the  command  of  Piedmont.  In  the  year  1803  Napoleon  named  him  gen- 
eral-in-chief  of  the  army  of  Italy,  and,  in  the  following  year,  marshal 
of  France,  and  grand  cross  of  the  Legion  of  Honor.  In  1808  he  went 
with  King  Joseph,  as  major-general,  to  Spain,  and,  after  the  decisive 
battle  of  Vittoria,  lived  in  retirement  at  Rouen.  In  1815  he  took  the 
oath  of  allegiance  to  Louis,  and  when  the  latter  left  France,  retired  to 
his  seat.  Napoleon  then  made  him  a  peer,  and  intrusted  him  with  the 
defence  of  Besancon.  After  the  return  of  Louis,  Jourdan  was  one  of 
the  first  to  declare  for  him;  and  in  1819  the  King  raised  him  to  the 
peerage.  Jourdan  belonged  to  the  party  of  liberal  constitutionalists. — 
Encyclo'pccdia  Americana. 

JOURDAN,  Matthieu  Jouve,  entitled  the  "  Beheader,"  was  bom  at 
St.  Just  in  1749.  He  was  successively  a  butcher,  a  blacksmith's  journey- 
man, a  smuggler,  a  servant,  general  of  the  army  of  Vaucluse  in  1791, 
and  finally  leader  of  a  squadron  of  national  gendarmerie.  In  the 
massacres  of  Versailles  he  cut  off  the  heads  of  two  of  the  King's  body- 
guards. Pie  boasted  also  of  having  torn  out  the  hearts  of  Foulon  and 
Bertier,  and  called  on  the  National  Assembly  to  reward  him  for  this 
deed  with  a  civic  medal !  He  was  also  one  of  the  chief  instigators  of  the 
massacres  of  Avignon.  In  1794  he  was  condemned  to  death  as  a  federal- 
ist and  guillotined  [May  27,  1794.  Jourdan  was  remarkable  for  wearing 
a  long  beard,  which  was  often  besprinkled  with  blood. — Biographie 
Moderns. 

JUNOT,  Andoche,  was  born  of  humble  parents,  October  24,  1771. 
At  a  very  early  period  he  enlisted  in  the  array ;  but  of  his  military  ex- 
ploits nothing  is  known  until  the  siege  of  Toulon,  when  he  was  a  sim- 
ple grenadier.     Here  he  was  fortunate  enough  to  attract  the  notice  of 

Vol.  II.— N 


494  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

the  young  commandant  of  the  artillery.  During  a  heavy  cannonade, 
Bonaparte,  having  occasion  to  dictate  a  despatch,  inquired  if  any  one 
near  him  could  write.  Junot  stepped  out  of  the  ranks,  and,  while  pen- 
ning the  despatch,  a  shot  struck  the  ground  close  by  his  side,  and  cov- 
ered both  with  dust.  "  This  is  fortunate,  sir,"  observed  the  grenadier, 
laughing,  "  I  was  in  want  of  sand."  "  You  are  a  brave  fellow,"  said 
ITapoleon ;  "  how  can  I  serve  you  ?"  '"  Give  me  promotion ;  I  will  not 
disgrace  it."  He  was  immediately  made  a  sergeant ;  not  long  afterwards 
he  ol^tained  a  commission;  and,  in  1796,  was  nominated  aide-de-camp 
to  his  benefactor.  In  the  campaign  of  Italy,  Junot  exhibited  daring 
courage,  and,  it  is  said,  great  rapacity.  In  Egypt  he  served  with  dis- 
tinction as  general  of  brigade,  and  soon  after  his  return  was  placed  over 
a  division.  He  entered  Portugal  at  the  head  of  a  powerful  army  in 
1807,  levied  oppressive  contributions,  punished  all  who  ventured  to 
speak  against  his  measures,  and  allayed  partial  revolts  by  bloody  exe- 
cutions. About  this  time  he  was  created  Duke  d'x\brantes,  but  being 
soon  defeated  by  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  at  the  battle  of  Vimeria,  he  was 
compelled  to  evacuate  Portugal,  and  remained  until  1812  in  complete 
disgrace.  In  the  Russian  campaign  he  headed  a  division.  He  died  at 
his  father's  house,  July  28,  1813. — Court  and  Camp  of  Bonaparte. 

Of  the  considerable  fortunes  which  the  Emperor  had  bestowed,  that 
of  Junot,  he  said,  was  one  of  the  most  extravagant.  The  sums  he  had 
given  him  almost  exceeded  belief,  and  yet  he  was  always  in  debt;  he 
had  squandered  treasures  without  credit  to  himself,  without  discern- 
ment or  taste,  and  too  frequently,  the  Emperor  added,  in  gross  de- 
bauchery. The  frequent  incoherences  which  had  been  observed  in 
Junot's  behavior,  towards  the  close  of  his  life,  arose  from  the  excesses 
in  which  he  had  indulged,  and  broke  out  at  last  into  complete  insanity. 
They  were  obliged  to  convey  him  to  his  father's  house,  where  he 
died  miserably,  having  mutilated  his  person  with  his  own  hands. — Las 
Cases. 

KELLERMAlS'lSr,  Francois  Christophe,  born  at  Strasburg,  May 
30,  1735,  a  French  general,  began  life  as  a  private  hussar,  but  was 
soon  promoted  for  his  skill  and  good  conduct.  In  1792  he  obtained  the 
command  of  the  army  of  the  Moselle,  and  distinguished  himself  at  the 
battle  of  Valmy.  In  1794  he  was  brought  before  the  revolutionary  tri- 
bunal, but  acquitted.  In  1799  he  became  a  member  of  the  consular 
senate;  in  1802  he  obtained  the  title  of  grand  officer  of  the  Legion  of 
Honor;  and,  soon  afterwards,  Avas  raised  to  the  rank  of  marshal  of 
the  Empire.  He  was  father  of  the  celebrated  Kellermann,  whose  glori- 
ous charge  decided  the  battle  of  Marengo.  He  died  September  12, 
1820. — Biographie  Modcrne. 

The  following  are  the  terms  in  which  l^apoleon  addressed  Carnot 
on  one  occasion :  "  Kellermann  would  command  the  army  as  well  as  I ; 
for  no  one  is  more  convinced  than  I  am  of  the  courage  and  audacity  of 
the  soldiers;  but  to  unite  us  together  would  ruin  everything.     I  will 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  4^5 

not  serve  with  a  man  wlii»  considers  himself  the  first  general  in  Europe; 
and  it  is  better  to  have  one  bad  general  than  two  good  ones.  War  is, 
like  government,  decided  in  a  great  degree  by  tact." 

KLE13ER,  Jea.n  Bai'tiste,  distinguislied  not  less  for  his  humanity 
and  integrity,  than  for  his  courage,  activity,  and  coolness,  was  one  of 
llie  ablest  soldiers  whom  the  Revolution  produced.  His  father  was  a 
c'ummon  laborer,  and  he  himself  was  occupied  as  an  architect  when  the 
troubles  in  France  broke  out.  lie  was  born  at  Strasburg  in  1754,  and 
had  received  some  military  education  in  the  academy  of  ^lunich.  Hav- 
ing entered  a  French  volunteer  corps  as  a  grenadier  in  1792,  his  talents 
soon  procured  him  notice,  and  after  the  capture  of  Mayence,  he  was 
made  general  of  brigade.  Although  he  openly  expressed  his  horror  of 
the  atrocious  policy  of  the  revolutionary  government,  yet  his  services 
were  too  valuable  to  be  lost,  and  he  distinguished  himself  as  a  general 
of  division  in  179.5  and  179G.  In  1797,  dissatisfied  with  the  Directory, 
Kleber  retired  from  the  service,  but  Bonaparte  prevailed  on  him  to 
join  the  expedition  to  Egypt,  and  left  him  the  supreme  command  when 
he  himself  returned  to  France.  Though  his  position  was  a  difficult  one, 
yet  he  maintained  it  successfully,  and  was  making  preparations  for  se- 
curing the  possession  of  the  country,  when  he  was  assassinated  by  a 
Turkish  fanatic  in  the  year  1800. — Encyclopccdia  Americana. 

Of  all  the  generals  I  ever  had  under  me,  said  Bonaparte,  Desaix  and 
Kleber  possessed  the  greatest  talents ;  but  Kleber  only  loved  glory  in- 
asmuch as  it  was  the  means  of  procuring  him  riches  and  pleasures. 
He  M'as  an  irreparable  loss  to  France. — A  Voice  from  St.  Helena. 

LAFAYETTE,  ^{xmn  Paul  Jean  Roch  Yves  Gilbert  Motier, 
Marquis  de,  was  born  in  Auvergne  (Chavagnac),  September,  1757,  of 
one  of  the  most  ancient  families  of  that  province.  He  married  the  grand- 
daughter of  the  Duke  of  Noailles  in  1774.  He  was  employed,  when 
still  young,  in  the  American  army  under  Washington,  which  won  the 
independence  of  the  English  colonics  of  North  America.  He  served  as 
a  major-general,  1777-83,  without  pay,  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  the 
Brandywine,  and  fought  with  honor  at  Ifonmouth,  and  conducted  the 
campaign  in  Virginia  which  ended  in  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis  at 
Yorktown.  He  returned  to  France  full  of  ideas  of  liberty.  Being  ap- 
pointed by  the  noblesse  of  his  province,  deputy  to  the  States-General,  he 
voted  that  the  examination  of  the  powers  should  take  place  in  common. 
After  the  union  of  the  three  orders,  he  insisted,  with  Mirabeau,  on  the 
removal  of  the  troops  whom  the  court  was  marching  towards  Paris. 
Being  appointed  vice-president,  he  presented  his  well-known  declaration 
of  rights.  In  July,  1789,  he  was  appointed  commander  of  the  Parisian 
national  guard.  A  few  days  after  the  famous  October  5th,  Lafayette, 
in  a  conference  very  imperious  on  the  one  side,  and  very  timid  on  the 
other,  gave  the  Duke  of  Orleans  to  understand  that  his  name  was  the 
pretext  for  all  commotions,  and  that  he  must  leave  the  kingdom;  an 
apparent  mission  was  given  to  this  prince,  and  he  set  out  for  England. 


496  BIOGRAPHICAL,    SKETCHES. 

In  February,  1790,  Lafayette,  in  the  Assembly,  solicited  measures  for 
repressing  the  disturbers  of  the  provinces,  and  indemnifying  the  pro- 
prietors of  burned  houses ;  these  excesses  he  attributed  to  the  counter- 
revolutionary spirit.  He  afterwards  voted  for  the  suppression  of  titles 
of  honor  and  nobility,  refusing  even  to  admit  of  an  exception  in  favor 
of  the  princes.  At  the  Federation  in  July,  he  presented  the  national 
guards,  who  were  collected  from  every  part  of  the  kingdom,  to  the  As- 
sembly and  the  King.  At  the  time  of  Louis's  flight,  he  was  accused 
by  the  Jacobins  of  having  assisted  in  it,  and  by  the  Royalists  of  having 
contrived  the  arrest  of  his  sovereign.  When  the  King's  fate  was  debated 
in  the  Assembly,  Lafayette  was  among  those  who  objected  to  the  motion 
for  bringing  him  to  trial,  and  declaring  him  deposed.  When  the  Con- 
stitution was  accepted,  Lafayette  voted  for  the  amnesty  demanded  by 
the  King,  and  resigned  his  office  of  commander  of  the  guard,  upon  which 
the  municipality  ordered  a  gold  medal  to  be  struck  in  his  honor.  In 
1792  Lafayette  went  to  Metz,  Avhere  he  took  the  command  of  the  central 
army.  At  first  he  encamped  under  the  walls  of  Givet,  but  his  advanced 
guard,  posted  near  Philippsburg,  met  with  a  slight  check,  upon  which  he 
removed  to  the  intrenched  camp  at  Maubeige,  and  placed  his  advanced 
guard  at  Grisnelles,  under  the  command  of  Gouvion,  where  it  was  sur- 
prised and  cut  to  pieces,  and  its  leader  killed  by  a  cannon-ball.  Shortly 
afterwards  Lafayette's  army  received  accounts  of  the  attempt  made  on 
June  20th,  and,  in  different  addresses,  declared  its  disapprobation  of 
the  outrage  offered  on  that  day  to  Louis.  Proud  of  such  support, 
Lafayette  went  to  Paris,  and  appeared  at  the  bar  of  the  legislative  body, 
where  he  complained  of  these  outrages,  and  accused  the  Jacobins.  For 
one  moment  the  Assembly  seemed  intimidated  by  this  step,  but  the  fac- 
tion soon  took  courage:  and  Lafayette  returned  to  his  army,  after  hav- 
ing in  vain  urged  Louis  to  leave  Paris,  and  come  among  his  troops,  who 
were  then  faithful.  Soon  after,  commissions  having  been  sent  from 
Paris  to  insist  on  his  removal  from  his  command,  he  addressed  his 
troops  in  a  proclamation,  in  which  he  called  on  them  to  choose  between 
the  Constitution  and  Petion  for  a  king.  The  whole  army  exclaimed, 
"  Long  live  the  King !"  "  Long  live  the  Constitution !"  but  Lafayette, 
placing  little  dependence  on  this  burst  of  enthusiasm,  fled  with  several 
officers  of  his  staff.  He  was  then  declared  an  emigrant.  On  his  arrival 
at  the  Austrian  advanced  posts  he  was  made  prisoner.  He  was  after- 
wards delivered  up  to  the  King  of  Prussia,  who  caused  him  to  be  re- 
moved to  Magdeburg,  where  he  remained  a  year  in  a  dungeon;  but 
when  Prussia  made  peace  with  France,  he  was  restored  to  the  Austrians, 
who  sent  him  to  Olmutz.  After  a  rigorous  imprisonment  of  three  years 
and  five  months,  he  obtained  his  liberty  at  the  request  of  Bonaparte. 
He  then  withdrew  to  Hamburg,  and  after  the  1 8th  Brumaire,  returned  to 
France.  From  this  period  Lafayette  remained  in  comparative  retirement 
till  the  breaking  out  of  the  second  Revolution,  in  1830,  when  he  was  again 
appointed  commander  of  the  national  guards,  which,  however,  he  re- 


I.AKAYKTTi:. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  499 

signed,  shortly  after  the  accession  of  Louis-Philippe  to  the  throne.     He 
died  in  the  year  1834,  at  the  age  of  76. — Biographie  Moderne. 

Lafayette  was  under  the  necessity  of  observing  the  greatest  secrecy 
in  his  departure,  in  order  to  avoid  increasing  the  number  of  his  com- 
panions in  exile,  who  consisted  only  of  Latour-Maubourg  and  his  two 
brothers.  Bureaux  de  Puzy,  his  aides-de-camp,  and  staff  ofiicers  in  the 
Parisian  national  guard,  and  some  friends,  exposed  to  certain  death 
in  consequence  of  their  participation  in  his  last  efforts  against  anarchy. 
Fifteen  officers  of  different  ranks  accompanied  him.  On  arriving  at 
Rochefort,  where  the  party  (considerably  reduced  in  number)  were 
stopped,  Bureaux  de  Puzy  was  compelled  to  go  forward  and  obtain  a 
pass  from  General  Moitelle,  in  command  at  Namur.  He  set  out  ac- 
cordingly, but,  before  he  could  utter  a  syllable  of  explanation,  that 
general  exclaimed,  '*  What,  Lafayette  ?  Lafayette  ? — Bun  instantly  and 
inform  the  Duke  of  Bourbon  of  it — Lafayette? — Set  out  this  moment," 
addressing  one  of  his  officers,  "  and  carry  this  news  to  his  royal  highness 
at  Brussels,"  and  on  he  went,  muttering  to  himself  the  word  "  Lafayette." 
It  was  not  until  he  had  given  orders  to  write  to  all  the  princes  and 
generals  he  could  think  of,  that  Puzy  could  put  in  his  request  for  a  pass, 
which  was  of  course  refused. — Lafayette's  Memoirs. 

However  irritated  they  might  be  by  Lafayette's  behavior  at  the  outset 
of  the  Revolution,  the  present  conduct  of  the  monarchs  towards  him  was 
neither  to  be  vindicated  by  morality,  the  law  of  nations,  nor  the  rules  of 
sound  policy.  Even  if  he  had  been  amenable  for  a  crime  against  his  own 
country,  we  know  not  what  right  Austria  or  Prussia  had  to  take  cogni- 
zance of  it.  To  them  he  was  a  mere  prisoner  of  war,  and  nothing  further. 
It  is  very  seldom  that  a  petty,  vindictive  line  of  policy  accords  with  the 
real  interest,  either  of  great  princes  or  of  private  individuals. — Scott's 
Life  of  Napoleon. 

LAMBALLE,  Marie  Tiiekese  Louise  de  Savoie  Carignan,  widow 
of  Louis  Alexander  Joseph  Stanislas  de  Bourbon  Penthiere,  Prince  de 
Lamballe,  was  born  at  Turin,  September  8,  1749,  and  was  mistress 
of  the  household  to  the  Queen  of  France,  to  whom  she  was  united  by 
bonds  of  the  tenderest  affection. — Bior/raphie  Moderne. 

The  Princess  de  Lamballe,  having  been  spared  on  the  night  of  Sep- 
tember 2,  1792,  flung  herself  on  her  bed,  oppressed  with  every  species 
of  anxiety  and  horror.  She  closed  her  eyes,  but  only  to  open  them  in 
an  instant,  startled  with  frightful  dreams.  About  eight  o'clock  next 
morning,  two  national  guards  entered  her  room,  to  inform  her  that 
she  was  going  to  be  removed  to  the  Abbaye.  She  slipped  on  her  gown, 
and  went  down-stairs  into  the  sessions-room.  When  she  entered  this 
frightful  court,  the  sight  of  weapons  stained  with  blood,  and  of  exe- 
cutioners whose  hands,  faces,  and  clothes  were  smeared  over  with  the 
same  red  dve,  gave  her  such  a  shock  that  she  fainted  several  times.  At 
length  she  was  subjected  to  a  mock  examination,  after  which,  just  as 
she  was  stepping  across  the  threshold  of  the  door,  she  received  on  the 


500  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

back  of  her  head  a  blow  with  a  hanger,  which  made  the  blood  spout. 
Two  men  then  laid  fast  hold  of  her,  and  obliged  her  to  walk  over  dead 
bodies,  while  she  was  fainting  every  instant.  They  then  completed  her 
murder  by  running  her  through  with  their  spears  on  a  heap  of  corpses. 
She  was  afterwards  stripped,  and  her  naked  body  exposed  to  the  insults 
of  the  populace.  In  this  state  it  remained  more  than  two  hours.  When 
any  blood  gushing  from  its  wounds  stained  the  skin,  some  men,  placed 
there  for  the  purpose,  immediately  washed  it  off,  to  make  the  spectators 
take  more  particular  notice  of  its  whiteness.  I  must  not  venture  to  de- 
scribe the  excesses  of  barbarity  and  lustful  indecency  with  which  this 
corpse  was  defiled.  I  shall  only  say  that  a  cannon  was  charged  with 
one  of  the  legs !  Towards  noon,  the  murderers  determined  to  cut  off 
her  head,  and  carry  it  in  triumph  round  Paris.  Her  other  scattered 
limbs  were  also  given  to  troops  of  cannibals  who  trailed  them  along  the 
streets.  The  pike  that  supported  the  head  was  planted  under  the  very 
windows  of  the  Duke  of  Orleans.  He  was  sitting  down  to  dinner  at  the 
time,  but  rose  from  his  chair,  and  gazed  at  the  ghastly  spectacle  without 
discovering  the  least  symptom  of  uneasiness,  terror,  or  satisfaction. — 
Peltier. 

One  day  when  my  brother  came  to  pay  us  a  visit,  he  perceived,  as  he 
came  along,  groups  of  people  whose  sanguinary  drunkenness  was  hor- 
rible. Many  were  naked  to  the  waist,  and  their  arms  and  breasts  were 
covered  with  blood.  Their  countenances  were  inflamed,  and  their  eyes 
haggard;  in  short,  they  looked  hideous.  My  brother,  in  his  uneasiness 
about  us,  determined  to  come  to  us  at  all  risks,  and  drove  rapidly  along 
the  Boulevard,  until  he  arrived  opposite  the  house  of  Beaumarchais. 
There  he  was  stopped  by  an  immense  mob,  composed  also  of  half-naked 
people,  besmeared  with  blood,  and  who  had  the  appearance  of  demons. 
They  vociferated,  sang,  and  danced.  It  was  the  Saturnalia  of  Hell! 
On  perceiving  Albert's  cabriolet,  they  cried  out,  "  Let  it  be  taken  to 
him ;  he  is  an  aristocrat."  In  a  moment,  the  cabriolet  was  surrounded 
by  the  multitude,  and  from  the  middle  of  the  crowd  an  object  seemed 
to  arise  and  approach.  My  brother's  troubled  sight  did  not  at  first  enable 
him  to  perceive  long  auburn  tresses  clotted  with  blood,  and  a  countenance 
still  lovely.  The  object  came  nearer  and  nearer,  and  rested  upon  his 
face.  My  unhappy  brother  uttered  a  piercing  cry.  He  had  recognized 
the  head  of  the  Princess  de  Lamballe ! — Duchess  d'Ahrantes. 

LANJUIT^AIS,  Jean  Denis,  born  at  Kennes,  March  12,  1753,  an 
advocate  and  professor  of  civil  law,  was  one  of  the  original  founders 
of  the  Breton  club,  which  afterwards  became  the  Jacobin  society.  In 
1792  he  was  deputed  to  the  Convention;  but,  in  proportion  to  the  in- 
creasing horrors  of  the  Pevolution,  he  became  more  moderate  in  his 
principles.  On  the  King's  trial,  he  declared  that  his  majesty  was  guilty, 
and  voted  for  his  imprisonment,  and  his  exile  when  a  peace  should 
take  place.  In  1794  the  Convention  outlawed  him,  but,  having  evaded 
all  research,  he  solicited  to  be  reinstated  in  the  legislative  body,  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  501 

was  recalled  in  1795.  In  the  year  1800,  Lanjuinais  became  a  member 
of  the  conservative  senate,  and  showed  himself,  on  several  occasions, 
the  inflexible  defender  of  the  true  principles  of  morality  and  justice. 
He  died  at  Paris,  January  13,  1827. — Biographie  Modeme. 

LAX!XP\S,  Jean,  Avho  for  his  impetuous  valor  was  called  the  Rolando 
and  the  Ajax  of  the  French  camp,  was  born  in  17G9.  His  parents 
were  poor,  and  intended  him  for  some  mechanical  pursuit,  but  he  was 
resolved  to  be  a  soldier.  One  of  the  first  actions  in  which  he  was  en- 
gaged was  tliat  of  Millesimo,  where  he  distinguished  himself  so  highly 
that  he  was  made  a  colonel  on  the  field.  At  the  bridge  of  Lodi  he  ex- 
hibited equal  intrepidity.  He  had  taken  one  ensign,  and  was  about 
to  seize  a  second  from  the  Austrians,  when  his  horse  fell  under  him, 
and  twelve  cuirassiers  raised  their  sabres  to  cut  him  down.  Lannes  in- 
stantly sprang  on  the  horse  of  an  Austrian  officer,  killed  the  rider,  and 
fought  his  way  through  the  cuirassiers,  killing  two  or  three  and  wound- 
ing more.  Soon  afterwards  he  was  made  general  of  division.  In  the 
Eg^'ptian  expedition  he  was  always  foremost  in  danger.  He  returned 
to  France  with  iSTapoleon,  whom  he  assisted  to  overthrow  the  Directory. 
He  accompanied  the  First  Consul  over  St.  Bernard,  and  fought  nobly 
at  Montebello,  which  afterwards  gave  him  his  title,  and  at  Marengo. 
Lannes  was  afterwards  sent  ambassador  to  Portugal,  and,  on  his  return, 
was  made  marshal  of  France,  and  then  Duke  of  Montebello.  He  was 
not  very  successful  in  Spain ;  he  took  indeed  Saragossa,  but  stained 
his.  character  there  by  perfidy,  as  well  as  cruelty.  After  the  fall  of  this 
place,  he  retired  to  an  estate  which  he  had  purchased  near  Paris,  but, 
being  recalled  to  the  field,  a  cannon-ball  at  the  battle  of  Essling  carried 
away  his  right  leg  and  the  foot  and  ankle  of  the  left.  Napoleon  showed 
great  grief  upon  the  occasion.  On  the  ninth  day  of  his  wound,  Lannes, 
grasping  the  Emperor's  hand,  said,  "  Another  liour  and  your  majesty 
will  have  lost  one  of  your  most  zealous  and  faithful  friends."  And  so 
indeed  it  proved.  Lannes  possessed  dauntless  courage,  but  was  vulgar, 
and  even  coarse  in  his  manners. — Court  arid  Camp  of  Bonaparte. 

Violent  and  hasty  in  his  expressions,  sometimes  even  in  my  presence, 
he  was  ardently  attached  to  me.  In  the  midst  of  his  anger,  he  would 
not  suffer  any  one  to  join  him  in  his  remarks.  On  that  account,  when 
he  was  in  a  choleric  mood  it  was  dangerous  to  speak  to  him,  as  he  used 
to  come  to  me  in  his  rage,  and  say,  such  and  such  persons  were  not  to 
be  trusted.  As  a  general,  he  was  greatly  superior  to  Moreau  or  to 
Soult. — A  Voice  from  St.  Jlehna. 

LAREVEILLIERE-LEPEAUX,  born  in  Poitou,  August  23,  1752, 
studied  at  Angers,  and  afterwards  went  to  Paris,  intending  to  become 
an  advocate  there.  Instead  of  this,  however,  he  returned  to  his  native 
place,  devoted  himself  to  botany,  and  became  professor  of  that  science 
at  Angers,  where  he  established  a  botanic  garden.  Being  deputed  to 
the  States-General,  he  excited  attention  by  the  hatred  he  showed  to  the 
higher  orders.     On  being  appointed  a  member  of  the  Convention,  he 


502  BIOGEAPHICAL,    SKETCHES. 

voted  for  the  King's  death.  Though  attached  to  the  Gironde,  he  man- 
aged to  escape  the  proscription  of  that  party,  and  lay  concealed  during 
the  whole  Reign  of  Terror.  He  afterwards  became  one  of  the  council 
of  the  Ancients,  and  then  of  the  Directory.  He  was  unwearied  in  labor, 
but  his  want  of  decision  always  excluded  him  from  any  influence  in 
important  affairs,  and  he  made  himself  ridiculous  by  his  whim  of  be- 
coming the  chief  of  the  sect  of  the  Theojohilanthropists.  In  1799  he 
was  driven  from  the  Directory,  and  returned  again  to  his  favorite  books 
and  plants. — BiograpJiie  Moderne. 

It  was  well  known  that  the  fear  of  being  hanged  was  Lareveilliere- 
Lepeaux's  ruling  sentiment. — Lacarriere. 

LAEOCHEJAQUELEI^,  Hexei  de,  was  twenty  years  old  at  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war  in  La  Vendee.  He  had  lived  little  in  the  world, 
and  his  manners  and  laconic  expressions  had  something  in  them  remark- 
ably simple  and  original.  There  was  much  sweetness  as  well  as  eleva- 
tion in  his  countenance.  Although  bashful,  his  eyes  were  quick  and 
animated.  He  was  tall  and  elegant,  had  fair  hair,  an  oval  face,  and 
the  contour  rather  English  than  French.  He  excelled  in  all  exercises, 
particularly  in  horsemanship.  When  he  first  put  himself  at  the  head 
of  the  insurrection,  he  said  to  his  soldiers :  "  My  friends,  I  am  but  a 
boy,  but  by  my  courage  I  shall  show  myself  worthy  of  commanding  you. 
Follow  me,  if  I  go  forward;  kill  me,  if  I  fly;  avenge  me,  if  I  fall." 
He  fell  at  the  battle  of  Nouaille,  March  4,  1794.  —  Memoirs  of  the 
Marchioness  de  Larochejaquelein. 

LAVOISIER,  Antohste  Laurent,  was  a  celebrated  French  chemist, 
whose  name  is  connected  with  the  antiphlogistic  theory  of  chemistry, 
to  the  reception  of  which  he  contributed  by  his  writings  and  discoveries. 
He  was  born  at  Paris,  August  16,  1743,  and  was  the  son  of  opulent 
pairents,  who  gave  him  a  good  education.  He  had  rendered  many 
services  to  the  arts  and  sciences,  both  in  a  public  and  private  capacity. 
In  1791  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  commissioners  of  the  national 
treasury.  He  was  executed  May  8,  1794,  on  the  charge  of  being  a  con- 
spirator, and  of  having  adulterated  the  tobacco  with  ingredients  obnox- 
ious to  the  health  of  the  citizens.  Lavoisier  married  in  1771  the  daugh- 
ter of  a  farmer-general,  who  subsequently  became  the  wife  of  Count 
Rumford. — Encyclopaedia  Americana. 

When  Lavoisier  requested  that  his  death  might  be  delayed  a  fort- 
night, in  order  that  he  might  finish  some  important  experiments,  Cofinhal 
made  answer,  that  the  republic  had  no  need  of  scholars  or  chemists. — 
Universal  Biographic. 

LEBOIST,  Joseph,  born  at  Arras  in  1765,  at  the  period  of  the  Revo- 
lution connected  himself  with  Robespierre.  After  August  10th  he  was 
appointed  mayor  of  that  town;  was  then  appointed  attorney-general  of 
the  department,  and  afterwards  joined  the  Convention  as  supple- 
mentary deputy.  In  1793  he  was  sent  as  commissioner  to  Arras,  where 
he  perpetrated  the  most  flagrant  cruelties.     In  October,  1795,  he  was 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  503 

condemned  to  death  as  a  Terrorist.  At  the  time  of  his  execution  he 
was  thirty  years  of  age. — Biographie  Modeme. 

Lebon  prided  himself  on  his  apostacy,  libertinism,  and  cruelty.  Ev- 
ery day  after  his  dinner  he  presided  at  the  execution  of  his  victims. 
By  his  order  an  orchestra  was  erected  close  to  the  guillotine.  He  used 
to  be  present  at  the  trials,  and  once  gave  notice  of  the  death  of  those 
whom  he  chose  to  be  sentenced  to  die.  lie  delighted  in  frightening 
women  by  firing  off  pistols  close  to  their  ears. — Prudhomme. 

It  is  a  curious  fact,  highly  illustrative  of  the  progress  of  revolutions, 
that  Lebon  was  at  first  humane  and  inoffensive  in  his  govermnent,  and 
it  was  not  till  he  had  received  repeated  orders  from  Robespierre,  with 
a  hint  of  a  dungeon  in  case  of  refusal,  that  his  atrocities  commenced. 
Let  no  man,  if  he  is  not  conscious  of  the  utmost  firmness  of  mind,  be 
sure  that  he  would  not,  under  similar  circumstances,  have  done  the 
same. — Duchess  d'A hrantes. 

In  the  city  of  Arras  above  two  thousand  persons  perished  by  the  guillo- 
tine. Mingling  treachery  and  seduction  with  sanguinary  oppression, 
Lebon  turned  the  despotic  powers  with  which  he  was  invested  into  the 
means  of  individual  gratification. — Alison. 

Lebon  was  accused  before  the  Convention  by  a  deputation  from  Cam- 
bray.  On  his  trial,  tlie  monster  acknowliHlged  that,  an  aristocrat  being 
condemned  to  the  guillotine,  he  had  kept  him  lying  in  the  usual  posture 
on  his  back,  with  his  eyes  turned  up  to  the  axe,  which  was  suspended 
above  his  throat — in  short,  in  all  the  agonies  which  can  agitate  the  human 
mind — until  he  had  read  to  him  at  length  the  Gazette,  which  had  just 
arrived,  giving  an  account  of  a  victory  gained  by  the  republican  armies. 
— Scott's  Life  of  Napoleon. 

LECLERC,  Charles  Emanuel,  entered  the  army  while  yet  very 
young,  and  soon  proved  successful.  Intrepid  in  the  field  and  judicious 
in  the  council,  he  was  employed  in  1793  as  adjutant-general  in  the  army 
which  besieged  Toulon.  In  the  armies  of  the  Xorth  and  the  Rhine  he 
increased  his  reputation ;  and  in  the  campaign  of  Italy,  in  1796,  he 
reaped  fresh  laurels.  He  next  accompanied  tlie  ex]iedition  to  Egypt, 
returned  to  France  in  1799,  and  greatly  contributed  to  the  revolution 
of  the  18th  Bruraaire.  Leclerc  was  afterwards  commissioned  to  re- 
unite St.  Domingo  to  the  French  government,  but  in  1802  he  fell  a 
victim  to  the  plague,  which  had  carried  off  many  of  his  men.  Napo- 
leon held  his  character  in  such  esteem  that  he  gave  him  his  own  sister 
in  marriage. — Biographic  Modeme. 

LEFEBVRE,  Francois  JosEPir,  a  native  of  Rufack,  of  an  humble 
family,  was  born  in  1755.  The  Revolution  which  found  him  a  veteran 
sergeant,  opened  to  him  the  higher  career  of  his  profession.  In  1793  he 
was  raised  from  the  rank  of  captain  to  that  of  adjutant-general ;  in  De- 
cember of  the  same  year  he  was  general  of  brigade,  and  the  month  after, 
of  division.  He  fought  under  Pichegru,  ^foreau,  Hoche,  and  Jourdan 
in  the  Netherlands  and  in  Germany,  and  on  all  occasions  with  distinc- 


504  BIOGEAPllICAL    SKETCHES. 

tion.  Lefebvre  was  of  great  use  to  Bonaparte  in  the  revolution  of  Bru- 
maire,  and,  when  raised  afterwards  to  the  dignity  of  marshal,  was  one 
of  the  best  supports  of  the  imperial  fortunes.  In  the  campaigns  of  1805, 
6,  and  7,  he  showed  equal  skill  and  intrepidity.  After  the  battle  of 
Eylau,  having  distinguished  himself  by  his  conduct  at  Dantzic  which  he 
was  sent  to  invest,  he  was  created  Duke  of  Dantzic.  In  the  German  cam- 
paign of  1809  he  maintained  the  honor  of  the  French  arms,  and  in  1813 
and  1814  adhered  faithfully  to  the  declining  fortunes  of  his  master. 
Louis  XVIII.  made  him  a  peer,  but  notwithstanding  this,  he  supported 
the  Emperor  on  his  return  from  Elba.  In  1816  he  was  confirmed  in  his 
rank  of  marshal,  and  three  years  afterwards  was  recalled  to  the  upper 
chamber.  Lefebvre  died  in  1820,  leaving  no  issue. — Court  and  Carnp  of 
Bonaparte. 

LEGEISTDRE,  Louis,  was  ten  years  a  sailor,  and  afterwards  a  butcher 
at  Paris.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolution  he  was  one  of  the  earliest 
and  most  violent  leaders  of  the  mob.  In  1791  he  was  deputed  by  the 
city  of  Paris  to  the  Convention.  In  1793  he  voted  for  the  King's  death, 
and,  the  day  before  his  execution,  proposed  to  the  Jacobins  to  cut  him 
into  eighty-four  pieces,  and  send  one  to  each  of  the  eighty-four  depart- 
ments !  He  was  one  of  the  chief  instigators  of  the  atrocities  of  Lyons ; 
and  at  Dieppe,  when  some  persons  complained  of  the  want  of  bread,  he 
answered,  "  Well,  eat  the  aristocrats !"  Legendre  died  at  Paris  in  1797, 
aged  forty-one,  and  bequeathed  his  body  to  the  surgeons,  "  in  order  to  be 
useful  to  mankind  after  his  death." — Biographic  Moderne. 

The  revolutionary  life  of  Legendre  is  more  original  than  one  would 
suppose,  when  considered  from  the  time  of  his  connection  with  the  La- 
meths.  His  drinking  tea  at  the  house  of  Mirabeau  and  Robert  of  Paris, 
with  Orleans;  the  twenty  or  thirty  soldiers  whom  he  received  at  his 
house ;  his  intimacy  with  Marat  and  Danton ;  his  behavior  on  the  death 
of  the  latter;  the  part  he  played  in  the  Mountaineer  faction  and  the 
Jacobin  society,-  the  defence  he  would  have  afforded  Robespierre  by 
interposing  his  own  body ;  and  his  fetching  the  keys  to  shut  up  the  hall 
of  the  Jacobins — form  a  string  of  events  which  show  a  man  not  wholly 
incapable,  and  of  singular  versatility  of  character. — Prudhomme. 

LOUIS  XVI.  was  the  grandson  of  Louis  XV.,  and  the  second  son  of 
the  dauphin  by  his  second  wife,  Marie  Josephine,  daughter  of  Frederick 
Augustus,  King  of  Poland  and  Elector  of  Saxony.  Louis  was  born  in 
1754,  and  in  1770  married  Marie  Antoinette  of  Austria.  With  the  best 
intentions,  but  utterly  inexperienced  in  government,  he  ascended  the 
throne  in  1774,  when  he  was  hardly  twenty  years  of  age.  In  his  coun- 
tenance, which  was  not  destitute  of  dignity,  were  delineated  the  promi- 
nent features  of  his  character — integrity,  indecision,  and  weakness.  He 
was  somewhat  stiff  in  demeanor;  and  his  manners  had  none  of  the 
grace  possessed  by  almost  all  the  princes  of  the  blood.  He  was  fond  of 
reading,  and  endowed  with  a  most  retentive  memory.  He  translated 
some  parts  of  Gibbon's  history.     It  was  the  fault  of  this  unfortunate 


i.oris  XVI. 


BIOORAPinCAL    SKETCILES.  507 

monarch  to  yield  too  easily  to  the  extravagant  tastes  of  the  Queen  and 
the  court.  The  latter  years  of  his  reign  were  one  continued  scene  of 
tumult  and  confusion;  and  he  was  guillotined  January  21,  1793,  m  the 
thirtv-ninth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  buried  in  the  Magdalen  church- 
yard^ Paris,  between  the  graves  of  those  who  were  crushed  to  death^in 
the  crowd  at  the  Louvre,  on  the  anniversary  of  his  marriage  in  1774, 
and  of  the  Swiss  who  fell  on  August  10,  11d2.—Encyclopa^dm  Ameri- 
cana. •     u     1  • 

The  Revolution  was  an  inheritance  bequeathed  to  Louis  by  his  an- 
cestors He  was  more  fitted  than  any  of  those  who  preceded  him,  to  pre- 
vent or  terminate  it;  for  he  was  capable  of  being  a  reformer  before  it 
broke  out,  or  of  being  a  constitutional  monarch  after  it.  He  is  perhaps 
the  only  prince  who,  destitute  of  passions,  had  not  even  that  of  power. 
With  a  Httle  more  strength  of  mind,  Louis  would  have  been  a  model  of  a 

king. — Mignet.  ••   •     ^  j  • 

The  errors  of  Louis  XVI.  may  truly  be  said  to  have  originated  m  a 
virtuous  principle.  As  to  his  weaknesses,  I  shall  not  endeavor  to  con- 
ceal them  I  have  more  than  once  had  occasion  to  lament  the  indecision 
of  this  unfortunate  prince;  his  repugnance  to  adopt  the  bold  measures 
which  might  have  saved  him;  and  his  want  of  that  energy  of  character, 
and  self-confidence  which  impose  on  the  multitude,  who  are  ever  prone 
to  believe  that  he  who  commands  with  firmness  and  an  air  of  authority 
possesses  the  means  of  enforcing  obedience.  But  I  will  venture  to  say 
that  the  very  faults  above  enumerated  did  not  belong  to  his  natural 
character,  but  were  ingrafted  on  it  by  the  selfish  indolence  of  M.  de 
Maurepas.-Fni;a^6  Memoirs  of  Bertrand  de  MoIlevtUe. 

MACBOKALD,  Marshai.  the  son  of  a  Highland  gentleman  of^the 
Clanronald  sept,  who  was  among  the  first  to  join  the  Tretender  m  1 .  45, 
and,  after  the  battle  of  Culloden,  escaped  to  F-^^'  fnnnt  into  t^^^^ 
His  son  was  born  November  23,  1765,  and  entered  ^^  l-^tenan  nto  the 
Irish  regiment  of  Dillon.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  I^^ volution,  he 
embraced  its  principles,  but  with  moderation  At  the  ^at^e  o  J- 
mappes,  he  behaved  with  great  gallantry,  and  led  the  van  of  tl  e  -m^  of 
the  North  as  general  of  brigade.  On  the  1  Sth  Brumaire  he  took  part^.  ith 
Bonaparte,  but  his  favor  with  the  First  Consul  ceased  m  1803  and  he 
remained  in  obscurity  till  the  year  1809,  when  H^^f^^^  ^^,  ^„7;, 
mand  in  the  army,  and  at  the  battle  of  ^Yagram  exhibited  such  sk^^^  and 
intrepidity  that  the  Emperor  created  him  a  marsluil  on  t  e  field    and 


508  BIOGEAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

tiers  of  the  kingdom.  He  died  at  Paris,  September  24,  1840. — Court 
and  Camp  of  Bonaparte. 

MAILLARD,  Stanislas,  a  runner  belonging  to  the  Chatelet  at  Paris, 
began,  from  the  opening  of  the  States-General,  to  signalize  himself  in 
all  the  tumults  of  the  metropolis.  In  September,  1792,  he  presided 
in  the  meeting  at  the  Abbaye  to  regulate  the  massacre  of  the  prisoners; 
and  it  has  been  said  that  he  seized  on  the  spoils  of  those  who  were  mur- 
dered by  his  order.  He  afterwards  became  one  of  the  denunciators  of 
the  prisons,  and,  during  the  Reign  of  Terror,  appeared  several  times 
at  La  Force,  to  mark  the  victims  who  were  to  be  condemned  by  the  revo- 
lutionary tribunal. — Biographie  Moderne. 

MALESHERBES,  Christian  William  de  Lamoignon  de,  an  emi- 
nent French  statesman,  was  the  son  of  the  Chancellor  of  France,  and 
was  born  at  Paris,  December  6,  1Y21.  In  the  year  1Y50  he  succeeded 
his  father  as  president  of  the  court  of  aids,  and  was  also  made  super- 
intendent of  the  press,  in  both  of  which  offices  he  displayed  a  liberal 
and  enlightened  policy.  On  the  banishment  of  the  parliaments  and 
the  suppression  of  the  court  of  aids,  Malesherbes  was  exiled  to  his  coun- 
try seat.  In  17Y5  he  was  appointed  minister  of  state.  He  took  no 
part  in  the  proceedings  which  led  to  the  overthrow  of  the  monarchy; 
but  on  the  decree  of  the  Convention  for  the  King's  trial,  he  emerged 
from  his  retreat  to  become  the  voluntary  advocate  of  his  sovereign. 
Malesherbes  was  guillotined  April  22,  1794,  and  almost  his  whole  fam- 
ily were  extirpated  by  their  merciless  persecutors.  —  Encydopoedia 
Americana. 

When  M.  de  Malesherbes  went  to  the  Temple  to  announce  the  result 
of  the  vote,  he  found  Louis  with  his  forehead  resting  on  his  hands, 
and  absorbed  in  a  deep  reverie.  W^ithout  inquiring  concerning  his  fate, 
he  said :  "  For  two  hours  I  have  been  considering  whether,  during  my 
whole  reign,  I  have  voluntarily  given  any  cause  of  complaint  to  my 
subjects ;  and  with  perfect  sincerity  I  declare  that  I  deserve  no  reproach 
at  their  hands,  and  that  I  have  never  formed  a  wish  but  for  their 
happiness." — Lacretelle. 

Louis  was  fully  prepared  for  his  fate.  During  the  calling  of  the 
votes  he  asked  M.  de  Malesherbes,  "  Have  you  not  met,  near  the  Tem- 
ple, the  White  Lady  ?"  "  What  do  you  mean  ?"  replied  he.  "  Do  you 
not  know,"  resumed  the  King,  with  a  smile,  "  that  when  a  prince  of  our 
house  is  about  to  die,  a  female,  dressed  in  white,  is  seen  wandering 
about  the  palace  ?  My  friends,"  added  he  to  his  defenders,  "  I  am  about 
to  depart  before  you  for  the  land  of  the  just,  but  there,  at  least,  we 
shall  be  reunited." — Alison. 

MARAT,  Jean  Paul,  born  May  24,  1744,  at  E'eufchatel,  of  Cal- 
vinist  parents,  was  not  five  feet  high;  his  face  was  hideous,  and  his 
head  monstrous  for  his  size.  From  nature  he  derived  a  daring  mind, 
an  ungovernable  imagination,  a  vindictive  temper,  and  a  ferocious  heart. 
He  studied  medicine  before  he  settled  in  Paris,  where  he  was  long  in. 


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p    v4 

BIOGKAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  511 

indigence.  At  last  he  obtained  the  situation  of  veterinary  surgeon  to 
the  Count  d'Artois.  At  the  period  of  the  Revolution,  his  natural  en- 
thusiasm rose  to  delirium,  and  he  set  up  a  journal  entitled  The  People's 
Friend,  in  which  he  preached  revolt,  murder,  and  pillage.  In  1790 
Lafayette  laid  siege  to  his  house,  but  he  found  an  asylum  in  that  of 
an  actress  who.  was  induced  by  her  husband  to  admit  him.  In  the  dif- 
ferent searches  made  after  him,  the  cellars  of  his  partisans,  and  the 
vaults  of  the  Cordeliers'  church  successively  gave  him  shelter,  and 
thence  he  continued  to  send  forth  his  journal.  In  August  ^farat  be- 
came a  member  of  the  municipality ;  was  one  of  the  chief  instigators 
of  the  September  massacres,  and  even  proposed  to  Danton  to  set  the 
prisons  on  fire.  Several  deputies  pressed  the  Assembly  to  issue  a  war- 
rant for  his  arrest,  but  they  could  not  obtain  it,  for  Danton  and  Robes- 
pierre were  his  supporters.  On  one  occasion  Marat  said  to  the  people, 
''  Massacre  270,000  partisans  of  the  former  order  of  things !"  Soon 
afterwards  he  was  made  president  of  the  Jacobin  society.  Marat  was 
stabbed  to  the  heart,  while  in  the  bath,  by  Charlotte  Corday.  He  had 
some  talent ;  wrote  and  spoke  with  facility,  in  a  diffuse,  incoherent, 
but  bold  and  impassioned  manner.  After  his  death,  honors  almost 
divine  were  paid  him ;  and  in  the  Place  du  Carrousel  a  sort  of  pyramid 
was  raised  in  celebration  of  him,  within  which  were  placed  his  bust, 
his  bathing-tub,  his  writing-desk,  and  lamp;  and  a  sentinel  was  posted 
there,  who  one  night  died  either  of  cold  or  horror.  Eventually,  how- 
ever, France  indignantly  broke  his  bust,  tore  his  remains  from  the 
Pantheon,  and  dragged  them  through  the  mud. — Biographie  Moderns. 

The  following  description  of  Marat  by  Sir  Walter  Scott  is  full  of 
graphic  energy :  "  Marat's  political  exhortations  began  and  ended  like 
the  howl  of  a  bloodhound  for  murder.  If  a  wolf  could  have  written  a 
journal,  the  gaunt  and  famished  wretch  could  not  have  ravened  more 
eagerly  for  slaughter.  It  was  blood  which  was  Marat's  constant  de- 
mand; not  in  drops  from  the  breast  of  an  individual,  not  in  puny 
streams  from  the  slaughter  of  families;  but  blood  in  the  profusion  of 
an  ocean.  We  are  inclined  to  believe  that  there  was  a  touch  of  insanity 
in  this  unnatural  ferocity;  and  the  wild  and  squalid  features  of  the 
wretch  appear  to  have  intimated  a  degree  of  alienation  of  mind.  Dan- 
ton murdered  to  glut  his  rage ;  Robespierre,  to  avenge  his  injured  vanity, 
or  to  remove  a  rival  whom  he  hated ;  Marat,  from  the  same  instinctive 
love  of  blood  which  induces  a  wolf  to  continue  his  ravages  of  the  flocks 
long  after  his  hunger  is  appeased." 

"  Give  me,"  said  Marat,  "  two  hundred  Neapolitans,  the  knife  in 
their  right  hand,  in  their  left  a  mujf,  to  serve  for  a  target,  and  with  these 
I  will  traverse  France  and  complete  the  Revolution."  He  also  made 
an  exact  calculation,  showing  in  what  manner  200,000  men  might  be 
put  to  death  in  one  day. — Barharoux's  Memoirs. 

When  ^Afarat  mounted  the  tribune  with  the  list  of  proscribed  patriots 
in  his  hand,  and  dictated  to  the  astonished  Convention  what  names  to 


512  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

insert,  and  what  names  to  strike  out,  it  was  not  that  poor,  distorted 
scarecrow  figure  and  maniac  countenance  which  inspired  awe  and  si- 
lenced opposition ;  but  he  was  hemmed  in,  driven  on,  sustained  in  the 
height  of  all  his  malevolence,  folly,  and  presumption  by  eighty  thousand 
foreign  bayonets,  that  sharpened  his  worthless  sentences  and  pointed 
his  frantic  gestures.  Paris  threatened  with  destruction,  thrilled  at  his 
accents.  Paris,  dressed  in  her  robe  of  flames,  seconded  his  incendiary 
zeal.  A  thousand  hearts  were  beating  in  his  bosom,  which  writhed  like 
the  sibyl's — a  thousand  daggers  were  whetted  on  his  stony  words.  Had 
he  not  been  backed  by  a  strong  necessity  and  strong  opinion,  he  would 
have  been  treated  as  a  madman ;  but  when  his  madness  arose  out  of  the 
sacred  cause  and  impending  fate  of  a  whole  people,  he  who  denounced 
the  danger  was  a  "  seer  blest  " — he  who  pointed  out  a  victim  was  the 
high-priest  of  freedom. — Ilazlitt's  Life  of  Napoleon. 

MAKIE  ANTOINETTE,  Josephe  Jeanne,  Princess,  of  Lor- 
raine, Archduchess  of  Austria,  and  Queen  of  France,  born  at  Vienna, 
November  2,  1755,  was  daughter  of  the  Emperor  Francis  I.  and  of 
Maria  Theresa.  She  received  a  careful  education,  and  nature  had  be- 
stowed on  her  an  uncommon  share  of  grace  and  beauty.  Her  marriage 
with  the  dauphin  (afterwards  Louis  XVI.)  at  Versailles,  in  1770,  had 
all  the  appearance  of  a  triumph.  It  was,  subsequently  remarked  that 
immediately  after  the  ceremony,  a  fearful  thunder-storm,  such  as  had 
scarcely  ever  before  been  witnessed,  took  place  at  Versailles.  Anxious 
minds  indulged  in  yet  more  fearful  forebodings,  when,  at  the  festivity 
which  the  city  of  Paris  prepared  in  celebration  of  the  royal  nuptials, 
through  the  want  of  judicious  arrangements,  a  great  number  of  people 
in  the  Rue  Royale  were  trodden  down  in  the  crowd.  Fifty-three  per- 
sons were  found  dead,  and  about  three  hundred  dangerously  Avounded. 
In  1788,  Marie  Antoinette  drew  upon  herself  the  hatred  of  the  court 
party,  who  used  every  means  to  make  her  odious  to  the  nation.  Her 
lively  imagination  often  gave  her  the  appearance  of  levity,  and  some- 
times of  intrigue  and  dissimulation.  A  national  restlessness,  too,  led 
her  on  a  constant  search  after  novelty,  which  involved  her  in  heavy  ex- 
penses. It  was  still  more  to  her  disadvantage  that  she  injured  her  dig- 
nity by  neglecting  the  strict  formality  of  court  manners.  About  this 
time  her  enemies  spread  a  report  about  that  she  was  still  an  Austrian 
at  heart.  When  Louis  XVI.  informed  her  of  his  condemnation  to 
death,  she  congratulated  him  on  the  approaching  termination  of  an  ex- 
istence so  painful.  After  his  execution,  she  asked  nothing  of  the  Con- 
vention but  a  mourning  dress,  which  she  wore  for  the  remainder  of  her 
days.  Her  behavior  during  the  whole  term  of  her  imprisonment  was 
exemplary  in  the  highest  degree.  On  October  3,  1798,  she  was  brought 
before  the  revolutionary  tribunal,  and  replied  to  all  the  questions  of 
her  judges  satisfactorily,  and  with  decision.  She  heard  her  sentence 
with  perfect  calmness,  and  the  next  day  ascended  the  scaffold.  The 
beauty  for  which  she  was  once  so  celebrated  was  gone;  grief  had  dis- 


MARIE   AXTOTXETTE. 


BIOGEAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  515 

torted  her  features,  and  in  the  damp,  unhealthy  prison,  she  had  almost 
lost  one  of  her  eyes.  When  she  reached  the  place  of  execution,  she 
cast  back  one  fond,  lingering  look  at  the  Tuileries,  and  then  mounted  the 
scaffold.  When  she  came  to  the  top,  she  flung  herself  on  her  knees,  and 
exclaimed,  "  Farewell,  my  dear  children,  forever — I  go  to  your  father!" 
Thus  died  the  Queen  of  France,  October  16,  1794,  towards  the  close  of 
the  thirty-eighth  year  of  her  age. — Encyclopcedia  Americana. 

MARM02^T,  AuGUSTE  Fredekique  Louis  Viesse  de,  was  born  at 
Chatillon,  July  20,  1774.  From  his  earliest  infancy  he  was  designed 
for  the  army,  and  at  Toulon  attracted  the  notice  of  Bonaparte,  who, 
when  appointed  general  of  the  army  of  the  interior,  appointed  him 
his  aide-de-camp.  Throughout  the  campaigns  of  Italy,  Egypt,  and 
Syria,  i\Iarmont  was  at  the  side  of  l^Tapoleon,  and  was  one  of  the  few 
selected  to  return  with  him  to  France.  In  the  passage  of  Mont  St.  Ber- 
nard he  greatly  distinguished  himself,  and  commanded  the  artillery  at 
Marengo.  In  the  wars  of  1S05-1807,  he  served  with  equal  honor,  and  in 
the  course  of  the  German  campaign  of  1809  obtained  the  marshal's 
truncheon  and  the  title  of  Duke  of  Kagusa.  He  was  afterwards  ordered 
to  replace  ^lassena  in  the  command  of  the  army  of  Portugal,  but  this 
was  a  situation  above  his  abilities.  Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Spain, 
Marmont  effected  a  junction  with  the  army  of  Soult,  and  pursued  Wel- 
lington towards  Salamanca.  For  a  time  they  watched  each  other,  but  a 
blunder  of  Marmont  threw  the  initiative  into  the  hands  of  Welling- 
ton ;  he  was  at  dinner  in  his  tent  when  information  was  brought  him 
that  the  French  were  extending  their  wing,  probably  to  outflank  him. 
"  Marmont's  good  genius  has  forsaken  him,"  said  W^ellington,  and, 
mounting  his  horse,  attacked  and  defeated  the  French  at  the  great  bat- 
tle of  Salamanca,  where  IMarmont  lost  his  arm.  He  afterwards  fought  at 
Lutzen,  Bautzen,  and  Leipsic,  and  on  the  entrance  of  the  allies  into 
France  was  intrusted  with  the  defence  of  Paris,  which,  however,  he  was 
compelled  to  surrender  to  the  enemy.  He  afterwards  entered  into  a 
treaty  with  the  allies,  and  marched  his  troops  within  their  canton- 
ments, stipulating,  however,  for  the  freedom  of  Napoleon's  person.  Louis 
made  Marmont  a  peer,  and  when  Napoleon  returned  from  Elba  he  de- 
nounced him  as  a  traitor,  for  the  part  he  had  played  in  the  abdication.  In 
I  1817  he  quelled  an  insurrection  at  Lyons. — Court  and  Camp  of  Bona- 
parte. 

In  1830  "Marmont  took  part  with  Charles  X,  against  the  people,  and 
was  driven  into  exile.     He  died  at  Venice,  March  2,  1852. 

MASSENA,  Andre.  Duke  of  Pivoli  and  Prince  of  Esslingen,  Marshal 
of  France,  was  born  May  8,  1758,  at  Nice,  and  rose  from  a  common 
soldier  to  the  rank  of  commander.  In  1792,  when  the  warriors  of  the 
republic  had  ascended  ^font  Cenis,  he  joined  their  ranks;  distinguished 
himself  by  courage  and  sagacity;  and  in  1793  was  made  general  of 
brigade.  In  the  ensuing  year  he  took  the  command  of  the  right  wing  of 
the  Italian  army.    He  was  the  constant  companion  in  arms  of  Bonaparte, 


516  BIOGKAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

who  used  to  call  him  the  spoiled  child  of  victory.  In  1799  Massena  dis- 
played great  ability  as  commander-in-chief  in  Switzerland.  After  he 
had  reconquered  the  Helvetian  and  Rhsetian  Alps,  he  was  sent  to  Italy 
to  check  the  victorious  career  of  the  Austrians.  He  hastened  with  the 
small  force  he  could  muster  to  the  support  of  Genoa,  the  defence  of 
which  is  among  his  most  remarkable  achievements.  In  1804  he  was 
created  marshal  of  the  empire,  and  the  year  after  received  the  chief  com- 
mand in  Italy.  After  the  peace  of  Tilsit,  war  having  broken  out  in 
Spain,  Massena  took  the  field  with  the  title  of  Duke  of  Rivoli ;  but  in 
1809  he  was  recalled  to  Germany.  At  Esslingen  his  firmness  saved  the 
French  army  from  total  destruction,  and  l^apoleon  rewarded  him  with 
the  dignity  of  prince  of  that  place.  After  the  peace  he  hastened  to 
Spain,  but,  being  unsuccessful  against  Wellington,  was  recalled.  In 
1814  Massena  commanded  at  Toulon,  and  declared  for  Louis  XVIII. 
On  the  landing  of  Bonaparte  in  1815,  he  joined  him,  was  created  a  peer, 
and  commander  of  the  national  guard  at  Paris.  He  lived  afterwards  in 
retirement,  and  his  death  was  hastened  by  chagrin  at  the  conduct  of  the 
Royalists.     He  died  in  the  year  1817. — Encyclopcedia  Americana. 

Massena,  said  ISTapoleon,  was  a  man  of  superior  talent.  He  generally, 
however,  made  bad  dispositions  previous  to  a  battle;  and  it  was  not 
until  the  dead  began  to  fall  about  him  that  he  began  to  act  with  that 
judgment  which  he  ought  to  have  displayed  before.  In  the  midst  of  the 
dying  and  the  dead,  and  of  balls  sweeping  away  those  who  encircled  him, 
Massena  was  himself,  and  gave  his  orders  and  made  his  dispositions 
with  the  greatest  sangfroid  and  judgment.  It  was  truly  said  of  him, 
that  he  never  began  to  act  with  skill,  until  the  battle  was  going  against 
him.  He  was,  however,  un  voleur.  He  went  halves  with  the  contractors 
and  commissaries  of  the  army.  I  signified  to  him  often  that  if  he  would 
discontinue  his  peculations,  I  would  make  him  a  present  of  eight  hun- 
dred thousand,  or  a  million,  of  francs ;  but  he  had  acquired  such  a  habit, 
that  he  could  not  keep  his  hands  from  money.  On  this  account  he  was 
hated  by  the  soldiers,  who  mutinied  against  him  three  or  four  times. 
However,  considering  the  circumstances  of  the  times,  he  was  precious; 
and  had  not  his  bright  parts  been  sullied  by  avarice,  he  would  have  been 
a  great  man. — A  Voice  from  St.  Helena. 

MENOU,  Jacques  Feancois,  Baron  de,  deputy  from  the  nobility 
of  the  bailiwick  of  Touraine  to  the  States-General,  was  one  of  the  first 
members  of  that  order  who  joined  the  chamber  of  the  tiers-etat.  In  1790 
he  was  president  of  the  Assembly,  and  proved  himself  the  open  enemy 
of  the  clergy,  and  was  one  of  the  commissioners  appointed  to  dispose  of 
their  property.  In  1798  he  was  employed  in  the  Vendean  war,  and  ap- 
pointed commander-in-chief;  but,  being  once  or  twice  defeated,  his  com- 
mand was  taken  from  him.  In  1795  he  defended  the  National  Conven- 
tion against  the  Jacobins,  for  which  he  was  rewarded  by  the  gift  of  a 
complete  suit  of  armor,  and  the  post  of  commander-in-chief  of  the  army 
of  the  interior.    In  1798  Menou,  as  general  of  a  division,  accompanied 


BIOGEAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  517 

Bonaparte  to  Egypt,  where  he  displayed  great  valor  and  ability.  He 
there  embraced  Mohammedanism,  took  the  turban,  assumed  the  name  of 
Abdallah,  attended  the  mosques,  and  married  a  rich  young  Egyptian 
woman,  daughter  to  the  keeper  of  the  baths  at  Alexandria.  When  Na- 
poleon left,  Menou  remained  with  Kleber,  after  whose  assassination  he 
took  the  command  of  the  army  of  the  East.  When  General  Abercromby 
landed  before  Alexandria,  Menou  marched  to  attack  him,  but  was  re- 
pulsed with  great  loss.  Shortly  after  his  return  to  France,  he  was  sent 
to  Piedmont  to  direct  the  administration  there.  In  1803  he  had  the  title 
of  grand  officer  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  conferred  on  him,  and  in  1805 
was  again  confirmed  in  the  general  government  of  Piedmont. — Bio- 
graphie  Moderne. 

MIRABEAU,  HoNOKE  Gabriel  Riquetti,  Comte  de,  was  born  at 
Bignon,  ]\[arch  9,  1749.  Youthful  impetuosity  and  ungoverned  pas- 
sions made  the  early  part  of  his  life  a  scene  of  disorder  and  misery. 
After  having  been  some  time  in  the  army,  he  married  Mademoiselle  de 
Marignane,  a  rich  heiress  in  the  city  of  Aix;  but  the  union  was  not 
fortunate,  and  his  extravagant  expenses  deranging  his  affairs,  he  con- 
tracted debts  to  the  amount  of  300,000  livres,  in  consequence  of  which 
his  father  obtained  from  the  Chatelet  an  act  of  lunacy  against  him. 
Enraged  at  this,  he  went  to  settle  at  Manosque;  whence  he  was,  on  ac- 
count of  a  private  quarrel,  some  time  afterwards  removed,  and  shut  up 
in  the  castle  of  If;  he  was  then  conveyed  to  that  of  Joux,  in  Franche 
Comte,  and  obtained  permission  to  go  occasionally  to  Pontarlier,  where 
he  met  Sophia  de  Ruffey,  Marchioness  of  Monmir,  wife  of  a  president 
in  the  parliament  of  Besan^on.  Her  wit  and  beauty  inspired  Mirabeau 
with  a  most  violent  passion,  and  he  soon  escaped  to  Holland  with  her, 
but  was  for  this  outrage  condemned  to  lose  his  head,  and  would  prob- 
ably have  ended  his  days  far  from  his  country,  had  not  an  agent  of 
police  seized  him  in  1777,  and  carried  him  to  the  castle  of  Vincennes, 
where  he  remained  till  December,  1780,  when  he  recovered  his  liberty. 
The  French  Revolution  soon  presented  a  vast  field  for  his  activity; 
and,  being  rejected  at  the  time  of  the  elections  by  the  nobility  of  Pro- 
vence, he  hired  a  warehouse,  put  up  this  inscription,  "  Mirabeau,  woollen- 
draper,"  and  was  elected  deputy  from  the  ticrs-etat  of  Aix;  from  that 
time  the  court  of  Versailles,  to  whom  he  was  beginning  to  be  formidable, 
called  him  the  Plebeian  Count.  On  the  day  when  the  States-General 
opened,  he  looked  at  the  King,  who  was  covered  with  jewels,  and 
said  to  those  near  him,  "  Behold  the  victim  already  adorned !"  He 
soon  took  possession  of  the  tribune,  and  there  discussed  the  most  im- 
portant matters  in  the  organization  of  society.  He  had  never  at  that 
time  conceived  the  possibility  of  establishing  a  democracy  in  so  im- 
mense a  state  as  France.  His  motive  for  seeking  popularity  was  solely 
that  he  might  regulate  a  court  which  he  caused  to  tremble,  but  the 
court  committed  the  fault  of  not  seeking  to  seduce  his  ambition.  He 
then  connected  himself  with  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  from  whom  he  ob- 

VOL.  11.— O 


518  BIOGKAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

tained  certain  sums  that  he  wanted;  but  soon  perceiving  that  it  was 
impossible  to  make  anything  of  such  a  clod,  he  broke  off  the  intimacy 
in  October,  1789.  If  he  was  not  one  of  the  principal  causes  of  the 
events  which  took  place  on  the  5th  and  6th  of  that  month,  the  words 
he  made  use  of  before  and  during  that  time,  give  reason  to  suppose 
he  was  no  stranger  to  them.  The  next  day  he  made  the  King  new  over- 
tures, and  repeated  them  shortly  after,  but  they  were  invariably  re- 
jected; and  he  then  considered  how  he  should,  by  new  blows,  com- 
pel the  sovereign  and  his  council  to  have  recourse  to  him.  ISTot,  how- 
ever, till  the  end  of  the  session  did  this  take  place;  and  then,  by  the 
intervention  of  Madame  de  Mercy  and  M.  de  Montmorin,  his  debts  were 
paid,  and  a  pension  was  granted  him.  From  that  time  he  devoted  him- 
self to  strengthening  the  monarchy,  and  addressed  to  the  King  a  state- 
ment on  the  causes  of  the  Revolution,  and  the  methods  of  putting 
a  stop  to  it.  It  may  be  doubted  whether  he  could  have  succeeded  in  this 
undertaking;  but  it  is  now  certain  that,  at  the  moment  of  his  sudden 
death,  he  was  busied  in  a  project  for  dissolving  an  assembly  which 
he  could  no  longer  direct.  On  January  16,  1791,  he  was  appointed 
a  member  of  the  department  of  Paris,  and  on  the  31st,  president  of  the 
JSTational  Assembly.  This  being  the  period  of  his  closest  connection  with 
the  court,  he  wished  as  president  to  acquire  new  celebrity,  and  show 
himself  capable  of  directing  the  Assembly;  a  design  which  he  executed 
with  a  degree  of  address  admired  even  by  his  enemies.  On  March  28th 
he  was  taken  ill,  and  died  on  April  2d,  at  half-past  eight  in  the  morn- 
ing, aged  forty-two.  So  short  an  illness  excited  a  suspicion  at  first  that 
he  had  been  poisoned,  and  all  parties  mutually  accused  each  other  of 
the  crime;  but  when  his  body  was  opened,  there  appeared,  as  the 
physicians  asserted,  no  marks  of  violence.  When  on  his  death-bed, 
he  said  openly  to  his  friends,  "  I  shall  carry  the  monarchy  with  me, 
and  a  few  factious  spirits  will  share  what  is  left."  At  the  moment  of 
his  death  he  retained  all  his  fortitude  and  self-possession;  on  the  very 
morning  he  wrote  these  words,  "  It  is  not  so  difficult  to  die ;"  and  at 
the  instant  when  his  eyes  were  closing  he  wrote,  "  To  sleep."  His 
loss  seemed  to  be  considered  as  a  public  calamity,  and  it  is  remarkable 
that  all  parties  believing  him  to  be  in  their  interests,  joined  in  re- 
gretting him.  His  obsequies  were  celebrated  with  great  pomp;  all  the 
theatres  were  shut ;  the  deputies,  the  ministers,  the  members  of  all  the 
authoritative  assemblies,  formed  a  procession  which  extended  above  a 
league,  and  which  was  four  hours  marching;  and  his  body  was  placed 
in  the  Pantheon  beside  that  of  Descartes.  In  November,  1793,  his 
ashes  were,  by  order  of  the  Convention,  removed  thence,  and  scattered 
abroad  by  the  people,  who  at  the  same  time  burned  his  bust  in  the 
I'lace  de  Greve,  as  an  enemy  to  the  republic,  and  one  who  had  corre- 
sponded with  the  royal  family.  Thus  did  Mirabeau  verify  what  he  had 
himself  said,  "  That  the  capitol  was  close  to  the  Tarpeian  rock,  and 
that  the  same  people  who  flattered  him  would  have  had  equal  pleasure 


MIKAREAU. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  521 

in  seeing  him  hanged."  !Mirabeau  was  of  middle  stature;  his  face  was 
disfigured  by  the  marks  of  small-pox;  and  the  enormous  quantity  of 
hair  on  his  head  gave  him  some  resemblance  to  a  lion.  He  was  of  a 
lofty  character,  and  had  talents  which  were  extraordinary,  and  some 
which  were  sublime;  his  felicity  of  diction  was  unrivalled,  and  his 
knowledge  of  the  human  heart  profound;  but  he  was  essentially  a  des- 
pot, and,  had  he  governed  an  empire,  he  would  have  surpassed  Riche- 
lieu in  pride,  and  Mazarin  in  policy.  Naturally  violent,  the  least  re- 
sistance inflamed  him;  when  he  appeared  most  irritated,  his  expression 
had  most  eloquence ;  and  being  a  consummate  actor,  his  voice  and  gest- 
ures lent  a  new  interest  to  all  he  said.  Ilis  chief  passion  was  pride; 
and  though  his  love  of  intrigue  was  unbounded,  it  can  be  ascribed  only 
to  his  pecuniary  necessities.  In  the  last  year  of  his  life  he  paid  im- 
mense debts,  bought  estates,  furniture,  the  valuable  library  of  Buffon, 
and  lived  in  a  splendid  style. — Biographie  Moderne. 

MIRABEAU,  Viscount  de  Boniface  de  Riquetti^  was  a  younger 
brother  of  Mirabeau,  and  served  with  distinction  in  America, 
1777-79.  He  was  born  near  Nemours  in  1754.  His  cele- 
brated relative  said  of  him  one  day,  "  In  any  other  family  the 
viscount  would  be  a  good-for-nothing  fellow  and  a  genius ;  in  ours,  he 
is  a  blockhead  and  a  worthy  man."  In  1789  the  younger  Mirabeau 
was  deputed  to  the  States-General,  and  defended  his  order  with  an 
energy  equal  to  that  with  which  his  brother  attacked  it.  On  one  occa- 
sion, when  he  had  kept  possession  of  the  tribune  above  an  hour,  the 
latter,  after  the  sitting  was  concluded,  went  to  his  house,  and  gently  re- 
proached him  with  often  drinking  to  excess,  which  led  him  into  un- 
pleasant embarrassments.  "  What  do  you  complain  of  ?"  answered  the 
viscount,  laughing;  "this  is  the  only  one  of  all  the  family  vices  that 
you  have  left  me."  In  1790  the  younger  ^lirabeau  emigrated,  levied 
a  legion,  and  served  under  the  Prince  of  Conde.  His  singular  con- 
formation had  gained  him  the  nickname  of  "  Hogshead  " ;  and  indeed 
he  was  almost  as  big  as  he  was  tall,  but  his  countenance  was  full  of  in- 
telligence. In  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution  he  wrote  a  satire  en- 
titled the  "  Magic  Lantern,"  and  left  behind  him  a  collection  of  tales 
the  versification  of  which  is  sprightly  and  graceful.  —  Biographie 
Moderne. 

MOXCEY,  Bon  Adrien  Jeannot,  was  born  in  1754.  His  father 
was  an  advocate,  and  he  was  intended  for  the  same  profession,  but  he 
took  an  invincible  repugnance  to  it,  and  entered  the  army  as  a  private 
soldier.  In  1700,  at  the  age  of  thirty-six,  he  was  but  a  sub-lieutenant 
of  dragoons.  Soon  afterwards,  however,  he  was  draughted  into  a 
battalion  of  light  infantry,  and  thenceforward  his  promotion  was  rapid. 
In  the  course  of  the  ensuing  two  years,  he  had  risen  to  be  general  of 
division,  and  received  the  command  of  the  eleventh  military  division 
at  Bayonne.  On  the  formation  of  the  consular  government  Moncey  took 
part  in  the  war  of  Italy,  and  was  present  at  the  famous  battle  of  Ma- 


522  BIOGKAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

rengo.  In  the  .year  1804  he  became  marshal  of  the  empire,  and  subse- 
quently Duke  of  Conegliano.  In  1808  he  was  engaged  in  the  Spanish 
campaigns,  but  his  operations  were  by  no  means  brilliant.  He  was 
also  present  in  the  Russian  expedition,  and  in  the  subsequent  struggles 
in  Germany.  When  ISTapoleon  abdicated,  Moncey  sent  in  his  adhesion 
to  the  royal  government ;  he  refused,  however,  to  preside  on  the  trial 
of  Marshal  jSTey,  for  which  he  was  degraded  from  his  honors  and  con- 
fined. In  1823  he  accompanied  the  Duke  d'Angouleme  in  his  inva- 
sion of  Spain.  Moncey  was  humane  by  nature,  honorable  in  conduct, 
and  a  cautious  rather  than  a  bold  general. — Court  and  Camp  of  Bona- 
parte. 

MONTMORIF  ST.  HEREM,  Akmand  Marc,  Count  de,  minister 
of  finance  and  secretary  of  state,  was  one  of  the  Assembly  of  Notables 
held  at  Versailles,  and  had  the  administration  of  foreign  affairs  at  the 
time  when  the  States-General  opened.  He  was  dismissed  in  1789  with 
ISTecker,  but  was  immediately  recalled  by  order  of  the  National  Assem- 
bly. In  September,  1790,  when  all  his  colleagues  were  dismissed,  he 
retained  his  place,  and  even  the  portfolio  of  the  interior  was  for  a  time 
confided  to  him.  In'  April,  1791,  he  sent  a  circular  letter  to  all  the 
ministers  at  foreign  courts,  assuring  their  sovereigns  that  the  King  was 
wholly  unrestrained,  and  sincerely  attached  to  the  new  constitution. 
In  the  beginning  of  June,  he  was  struck  from  the  list  of  Jacobins,  and  . 
was  afterwards  summoned  to  the  bar  for  giving  the  King's  passport 
when  he  fled  to  Varennes ;  but  he  easily  cleared  himself  from  this  charge 
by  proving  that  the  passport  had  been  taken  out  under  a  supposititious 
name.  M.  de  Montmorin  soon  after  this  tendered  his  resignation ;  yet 
though  withdrawn  from  public  life,  he  continued  near  the  King,  and, 
together  with  Bertrand  de  MoUeville,  Mallouet,  and  a  few  others, 
formed  a  kind  of  privy  council,  which  suggested  and  prepared  various 
plans  for  strengthening  the  monarchy.  This  conduct  drew  on  him  the 
inveterate  hatred  of  the  Jacobins,  who  attacked  him  and  Bertrand  as 
members  of  the  Austrian  committee.  M.  de  Montmorin  was  one  of  the 
first  victims  who  fell  in  the  massacres  of  September.  —  Biographie 
Moderne. 

The  unfortunate  M.  de  Montmorin  had  taken  refuge  on  August  10th 
at  the  house  of  a  washerwoman  in  the  faubourg  St.  Antoine.  He  was 
diseov^ered  in  the  early  part  of  September  by  the  imprudence  of  his 
hostess,  who  bought  the  finest  fowls  and  the  best  fruit  she  could  find, 
and  carried  them  to  her  house,  without  taking  any  precautions  to  elude 
the  observation  of  her  neighbors.  They  soon  suspected  her  of  harbor- 
ing an  aristocrat.  This  conjecture  spread  among  the  populace  of  the 
fauburg,  who  were  almost  all  of  them  spies  and  agents  of  the  Jacobins. 
M.  de  Montmorin  was  in  consequence  arrested,  and  conducted  to  the  bar 
of  the  National  Assembly.  He  answered  the  questions  put  to  him  in 
the  most  satisfactory  manner;  but  his  having  concealed  himself,  and  a 
bottle  of  laudanum  having  been  found  in  his  pocket,  formed,  said  his 


BIOGRArUICAL    SKETCHES,  523 

enemies,  a  strong  presumption  that  he  was  conscious. of  some  crime. 
After  being  detained  two  days  in  the  coiumittee,  he  was  sent  a  prisoner 
to  the  Abbaye ;  and  a  few  days  afterwards  was  murdered  in  a  manner 
too  shocking  to  mention ;  and  his  mangled  body  carried  in  triumph 
to  the  National  Assembly. — Privair  Memoirs  of  Bcrtrand  de  MoUeville. 

MOREAU,  Jean  Victok,  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  celebrated  gen- 
erals of  the  French  Tfepublic,  was  born  in  Bretagne,  August  11,  1703. 
Ilis  father  intended  him  for  the  law,  but  he  fled  from  his  studies,  and  en- 
listed in  a  regiment  before  he  had  attained  his  eighteenth  year.  In 
17S9  he  joined  the  army  of  the  North,  and  subsequently  favored  the 
Girondins,  whose  fall  greatly  affected  him,  and  it  was  with  much  re- 
pugnance that  he  accepted  the  constitution  of  1793,  when  proposed  to 
the  army.  In  1794  he  was  appointed  general  of  division,  and  com- 
manded the  right  wing  of  Pichegru's  army.  lie  was  soon  after  named 
commander-in-chief  of  the  troops  on  the  Rhine,  and  commenced  that 
course  of  operations  which  terminated  in  the  celebrated  retreat  from 
the  extremity  of  Germany  to  the  French  frontier,  in  the  face  of  a  su- 
perior enemy,  by  which  his  skill  as  a  consummate  tactician  was  so 
much  exalted.  In  1798  Moreau  was  sent  to  command  the  army  in 
Italy,  but,  after  some  brilliant  successes,  was  compelled  to  give  way  to 
the  Russians  under  Suwarrow.  After  Napoleon's  return  from  Egypt, 
Moreau  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  armies  of  the  Danube  and 
Rhine,  and  gained  the  decisive  victory  of  Ilohenlinden.  lie  was  after- 
wards accused  of  participating  in  the  conspiracy  of  Piehegru  and 
Georges,  and  sentenced  to  banishment,  whereupon  he  went  to  America 
and  lived  in  retirement  till  1813,  when  he  joined  the  allied  armies, 
and  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Dresden,  which  was  fought  in  that  year. — 
Encyclopedia  Americana. 

"  Moreau,"  observed  the  Emperor,  "  possesses  many  good  qualities. 
His  bravery  is  undoubted,  but  he  has  more  courage  than  energy;  he  is 
indolent  and  effeminate.  When  with  the  army,  he  lived  like  a  pacha; 
he  smoked,  was  almost  constantly  in  bed,  and  gave  himself  up  to  the 
pleasures  of  the  table.  His  dispositions  are  naturally  good;  but  he  is 
too  lazy  for  study.  He  does  not  read,  and  since  he  has  been  tied  to  his 
wife's  apron-strings,  he  is  fit  for  nothing.  He  sees  only  with  the  eyes 
of  his  wife  and  her  mother,  who  have  had  a  hand  in  all  his  plots 
against  me ;  and  yet,  strange  to  say,  it  was  by  my  advice  that  he  en- 
tered into  this  union.  You  must  remember,  Bourrienne,  my  observing 
to  you  more  than  two  years  ago,  that  Moreau  would  one  day  strike  his 
head  against  the  gate  of  the  Tuileries.  Had  he  remained  faithful  to  me, 
I  would  have  conferred  on  him  the  title  of  First  ^farshal  of  the  Em- 
pire."— Bourrienne. 

MORTIER,  ^fARSiiAL,  was  born  at  Cateau-Cambresis,  February  13, 
1768.  In  1791  he  obtained  the  rank  of  captain  in  a  volunteer  regiment; 
and  under  Piehegru,  ^^foreau,  and  ^lassena,  fought  his  way  to  the  com- 
mand of  a  division.     He  was  a  favorite  with  Napoleon,  who  created 


624  BIOGKAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

him  a  marshal  for  the  zeal  with  which  he  seized  Hanover  at  the  rupture 
of  the  peace  of  Amiens.  Being  afterwards  created  Duke  of  Treviso, 
Mortier  went  to  Spain,  but  met  with  no  success.  He  took  part  in  the 
Russian  expedition,  but  distinguished  himself  only  by  blowing  up  the 
Kremlin.  In  1814  he  submitted  to  Louis,  and  was  confirmed  in  his 
honors  and  posts ;  but  he  turned  traitor  on  the  return  of  Bonaparte, 
and  was,  therefore,  on  the  second  restoration,  shut  out  from  the  cham- 
ber of  peers.  In  1819,  however,  he  was  restored  to  his  peerage.  He  was 
killed  by  an  infernal  machine,  July  28,  1835,  during  Fieschi's  attempt 
to  assassinate  King  Louis  Philippe. — Court  and  Camp  of  Bonaparte. 

MURAT,  Joachim,  was  born  at  Cahors,  March  25,  1767.  His  father 
was  the  keeper  of  a  humble  country  inn,  who  had  once  been  steward 
to  the  wealthy  family  of  the  Talleyrands.  From  early  youth,  Murat 
was  distinguished  by  his  daring  courage  and  his  skill  in  horsemanship. 
He  was  originally  intended  for  the  church,  but  having,  in  his  twentieth 
year,  run  away  with,  and  fought  a  duel  for,  a  pretty  girl  of  the  neigh- 
borhood, all  his  ecclesiastical  hopes  were  •crushed  by  the  notoriety  which 
this  affair  brought  upon  him.  He  therefore  entered  the  army,  made 
himself  conspicuous  by  his  revolutionary  enthusiasm,  and  in  one  month 
fought  not  less  than  six  duels !  He  soon  gained  promotion,  and,  in  the 
aifair  of  the  sections,  made  himself  so  useful  to  Bonaparte,  that,  when 
appointed  to  the  command  of  the  army  of  Italy,  that  general  placed 
him  on  his  personal  staff.  Shortly  afterwards  Murat  was  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  general  of  brigade ;  accompanied  JSTapoleon  in  his  Egyptian 
expedition ;  and  returned  with  him  to  Paris,  where  he  married  Caro- 
line Bonaparte,  his  patron's  youngest  sister.  On  the  establishment  of 
the  empire,  he  was  created  marshal  of  France,  and,  in  1806,  invested 
with  the  grand  duchy  of  Berg  and  Cleves.  In  1808  he  entered  Madrid 
with  a  formidable  army,  and  sullied  his  reputation  by  his  exactions 
and  cruelties.  He  was  afterwards  appointed  to  the  throne  of  ^Naples, 
but  was  rendered  constantly  uneasy  by  the  system  of  jealous  espionage 
pursued  towards  him  by  ISTapoleon.  In  1812  he  joined  the  Emperor  in 
his  Russian  expedition,  and  was  placed  over  the  whole  cavalry  of  the 
grand  army,  in  which  position  he  rendered  himself  so  conspicuous  by 
his  daring  that  the  very  Cossacks  held  him  in  respect  and  admiration. 
When  Napoleon  quitted  Russia,  Murat  was  left  in  command,  but  he 
was  unequal  to  his  trying  duties,  and  retnrned  dispirited  to  Naples, 
greatly  to  the  Emperor's  dissatisfaction.  In  the  German  campaign  of 
1813  he  fought  nobly  at  Dresden  and  Leipsic,  but  immediately  after 
this  last  battle,  deserted  the  imperial  standard.  On  Napoleon's  escape 
from  Elba,  Mnrat  put  an  army  of  50,000  men  in  motion,  in  order,  as 
he  said,  to  secure  the  independence  of  Italy,  but  was  defeated  by  the 
Austrians  and  English.  After  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  he  wandered  about 
for  some  months  as  a  fugitive;  bnt,  lioing  discovered,  was  seized,  tried, 
and  ordered  to  be  shot,  by  Ferdinand,  the  then  reigning  King  of  Naples. 
When  the  fatal  moment  arrived,  ^furat  walked  with  a  firm  step  to  the 


BIOGIIAPIIICAL    SKETCHES.  525 

place  of  execution.  He  would  not  accept  a  chair,  nor  suffer  his  eyes 
to  be  bound.  He  stood  upright,  with  his  face  towards  the  soldiers,  and 
■when  all  was  ready,  kissed  a  carnelian  on  which  the  head  of  his  wife 
"was  engraved,  and  gave  the  word  thus :  '*  Save  my  face — aim  at  my 
heart — fire!"  !Murat  left  two  daughters  and  two  sons;  the  elder  of 
his  sons  is  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  and  said  to  be  a  youth  of  very 
superior  promise. — Court  and  Camp  of  Bonaparte. 

"  ^lurat,"  said  Napoleon,  "  is  a  good  soldier — one  of  the  most  brilliant 
men  I  ever  saw  on  a  field  of  battle.  Of  no  superior  talents,  without 
much  moral  courage,  timid  even  in  forming  his  plan  of  operations; 
but  the  moment  he  saw  the  enemy,  all  that  vanished — his  eye  was  the 
most  sure,  and  the  most  rapid,  his  courage  truly  chivalrous.  ^loreover, 
he  is  a  fine  man,  tall,  and  well  dressed,  though  at  times  rather  fan- 
tastically— in  short,  a  niagnifient  lazzarone.  It  was  really  a  magnificent 
sight  to  see  him  in  battle  heading  the  cavalry." — Lord  Ebringtons  Ac- 
count of  his  Conversation  with  Napoleon  at  Elba. 

NECKER,  Jacques,  was  the  son  of  a  tutor  in  the  college  of  Geneva. 
He  was  born  at  Geneva,  September  30,  1732,  and  began  life  as  a  clerk 
to  M.  Thellusson,  a  banker  at  Paris,  whose  partner  he  afterwards  be- 
came, and  in  the  course  of  twelve  or  fourteen  years  his  fortune  sur- 
passed that  of  the  first  bankers.  He  then  thought  of  obtaining  some  place 
tinder  government,  but  he  at  first  aimed  only  at  the  office  of  first  com- 
missioner of  finance,  to  attain  which  he  endeavored  to  acquire  a  literary 
reputation,  and  published  a  panegyric  on  Colbert.  Necker  was  begin- 
ning to  enjoy  some  degree  of  reputation  when  Turgot  was  disgraced, 
and  anxious  to  profit  by  the  dissipation  in  which  the  new  minister, 
Clugny,  lived,  he  presented  statements  to  M.  de  Maurepas  in  which  he 
exaggerated  the  resources  of  the  state.  The  rapid  fortune  of  Necker 
induced  a  favorable  opinion  of  his  capacity,  and  after  Clugny  died  he 
was  united  with  his  successor,  M.  Taboureau  des  Reaux,  an  appointment 
which  he  obtained  partly  by  the  assistance  of  the  Marquis  de  Pczay. 
After  eight  months'  administration,  Necker,  on  July  2,  1777,  compelled 
his  colleague  to  resign,  and  presented  his  accounts  in  1781.  Shortly 
after,  he  endeavored  to  take  advantage  of  the  public  favor,  and  aspired 
to  a  place  in  the  council.  He  insisted  on  it,  and  threatened  to  resign ; 
but  he  was  the  dupe  of  his  own  presumption,  and  was  suffered  to  retire. 
In  1787  he  returned  to  France,  and  wrote  against  Calonne,  who  had  ac- 
cused him  as  the  cause  of  the  deficiency  in  the  finances;  this  dispute 
ended  in  the  exile  of  Necker;  but,  in  17S8,  when  the  general  displeasure 
against  Brienne  terrified  the  court,  he  was  again  appointed  comptroller- 
general,  but,  feeling  himself  supported  by  the  people,  he  refused  to  ac- 
cept the  post,  unless  on  the  condition  of  not  laboring  in  conjunction  with 
the  prime  mini^;ter.  Eager  for  popular  applause,  Necker  hoped  to  govern 
everything  by  leading  the  King  to  hope  for  an  increase  of  power,  and  the 
people  for  a  speedy  democracy,  by  the  debasement  of  the  higher  orders 
and  the  parliaments.    The  report  which  he  made  to  the  council  on  Decem- 


526  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

ber  27,  1788,  respecting  the  formation  of  the  States-General,  proved  the 
first  spark  which  lighted  the  combustible  matter  that  had  long  been  pre- 
pared. On  July  11th,  when  the  court  thought  fit  to  declare  against  the 
factions,  l^ecker,  who  had  become  absolutely  their  sentinel  in  the  very 
council  of  the  King  was  dismissed;  but  on  the  10th  the  Assembly  wrote 
him  a  letter,  expressing  their  regret  at  his  withdrawal,  and  informed  him 
that  they  had  obtained  his  recall.  His  return  from  Basle  to  Paris  was 
one  continued  triumph.  During  the  remainder  of  the  year  he  was  con- 
stantly presenting  new  statements  on  the  resources  of  the  revenue;  but 
he  soon  perceived  that  his  influence  was  daily  diminishing.  At  last,  the 
famous  Red  Book  appeared,  and  completely  put  an  end  to  his  popularity ; 
so  that  in  the  month  of  December  he  determined  to  fly,  after  having  seen 
the  populace  tear  from  the  gate  of  his  house,  the  inscription,  "  To  the 
adored  minister."  He  died  at  Geneva,  April  9,  1804,  after  a  short  but 
painful  illness. — Biographie  Moderne. 

'N'EY,  Michael^  Duke  of  Elchingen,  Prince  of  Moskva,  marshal  and 
peer  of  France;  born  at  Saarlouis,  January  10,  1769;  entered  the 
French  army  in  1788 ;  made  a  brigadier-general  in  1797  after  the  battle 
of  JSTeuwied,  general  of  division  in  1799,  after  the  capture  of  Mannheim, 
and  marshal  in  1804.  He  commanded  in  the  Austrian,  Prussian,  and 
Spanish  campaigns,  and  distinguished  himself  at  Elchingen,  Jena,  Eylau 
and  Friedland.  He  was  ordered  to  Spain  in  1808,  and  was  successful 
in  maintaining  French  rule  over  Galicia,  but  in  1810  he  met  with  re- 
verses in  Portugal,  especially  during  the  retreat  from  Torres  Vedras. 
His  most  celebrated  exploits  were  the  battle  of  Borodino  while  the  grand 
army  crossed  the  Moskva,  and  his  command  of  the  rear  guard  during  the 
retreat  from  Moscow.  After  the  abdication  of  l^apoleon  he  submitted  to 
the  Bourbons,  and  was  well  received  by  Louis  XVIII.  When  Napoleon 
returned  from  Elba,  ISTey  assured  the  King  of  his  fidelity,  and  received 
the  command  of  a  corps  of  4000  men,  with  which  he  marched  against  the 
Emperor,  but  when  he  saw  the  enthusiasm  with  which  Napoleon  was  re- 
ceived everywhere  he  yielded  to  the  demands  of  his  soldiers  and  went 
over  to  the  side  of  the  Emperor.  In  the  Waterloo  campaign  Ney  fought 
the  battle  of  Quatre  Bras  on  the  same  day  that  Napoleon  defeated  the 
Prussians  at  Ligny,  and  at  Waterloo  he  commanded  the  centre.  After 
the  second  restoration  he  was  captured,  arraigned  for  high  treason,  be- 
fore the  Chamber  of  Peers,  which  by  a  large  majority  condemned  him  to 
death.  He  was  shot  December  7,  1815,  in  the  garden  of  the  Luxem- 
bourg. 

At  eight  o'clock,  on  the  morning  of  December  7th,  the  marshal,  with 
a  firm  step,  and  an  air  as  calm  as  if  he  had  been  on  a  field  of  battle,  de- 
scended the  steps  leading  to  the  court  of  the  Luxembourg,  and  entered 
a  coach,  which  conveyed  him  to  the  place  of  execution,  outside  the  garden 
gates.  He  alighted,  and  advanced  towards  the  file  of  soldiers  drawn  up 
to  despatch  him.  To  an  officer  who  proposed  to  bandage  his  eyes  he  re- 
plied, "  Are  you  ignorant  that  for  twenty-five  years  I  have  been  accus- 


BIOQEAPHICAL,    SKETCHES.  527 

tomed  to  face  both  ball  and  bullet  ?"  He  took  off  his  hat,  raised  it  above 
his  head,  and  said,  with  a  firm  voice,  "  I  declare,  before  God  and  man, 
that  I  have  never  betrayed  mj  country :  may  my  death  render  her  happy ! 
Vive  la  France !  Then,  turning  to  the  men,  and  striking  his  other  hand 
on  his  heart,  he  gave  the  word,  "  Soldiers — fire!" 

Thus,  in  his  forty-seventh  year,  did  ''  the  Bravest  of  the  Brave  "  ex- 
piate one  great  error,  alike  alien  from  his  natural  character  and  un- 
worthy of  the  general  course  of  his  life.  If  he  was  sometimes  a  stern, 
he  was  never  an  implacable  enemy.  He  was  sincere,  honest,  blunt  even : 
so  far  from  flattering,  he  often  contradicted  him  on  whose  nod  his 
fortunes  depended.  He  was,  with  few  exceptions,  merciful  to  the  van- 
quished; and  while  so  many  of  his  brother  marshals  dishonored  them- 
selves by  rapine  and  extortion,  Michael  ^ey  lived  and  died  poor. 

"  This  extraordinary  man,"  says  Colonel  Xapier,  "  was  notoriously 
indoTent,  and  unlearned  in  the  abstract  science  of  war;  it  was  necessary 
for  him  to  see  in  order  to  act;  his  character  seemed  to  be  asleep,  until 
some  imminent  danger  aroused  all  the  marvellous  energy  and  fortitude 
wdth  which  nature  had  endowed  him.  He  who  had  fought  500  battles 
for  France — not  one  against  her — was  shot  as  a  traitor !" — Court  and 
Camp  of  Bonaparte. 

ORLEANS,  Louis  Philippe  Joseph,  Duke  of,  great-great-grand- 
son of  Louis  XIII.  and  cousin  of  Louis  XVI.,  the  first  prince  of  the 
blood,  was  born  at  St.  Cloud,  April  13,  1747,  and  rendered  the  title  of 
Due  de  Chartres,  w^hich  he  bore  till  his  father's  death,  celebrated  by 
his  depravity.  He  was  in  stature  below  the  middle  size,  but  very  well 
made,  and  his  features  were  regular  and  pleasing,  till  libertinism  and 
debauchery  covered  them  with  red,  inflamed  pustles.  He  was  very  early 
bald ;  was  skilled  in  all  bodily  exercises ;  kind  and  compassionate  in  his 
domestic  relations,  and  endowed  with  good  natural  abilities,  though  igno- 
rant and  credulous.  In  1787  his  father  died,  and  he  then  took  the 
title  of  Duke  of  Orleans,  and  sought  to  render  himself  popular.  By 
the  advice  of  his  creatures  he  opposed  the  King  in  the  royal  meeting  on 
November  19,  1787,  and  was  exiled  to  Villers-Cotterets ;  but  in  return 
for  the  sums  he  lavished  on  the  journalists,  he  soon  became  the  idol  of 
the  populace.  Another  method  wliich  he  successfully  put  in  practice 
to  obtain  the  favor  of  the  people,  was  to  buy  up  corn,  and  then  relieve 
those  who  were  languishing  under  the  artificial  scarcity.  In  1788-89, 
public  tables  were  spread  and  fires  lighted,  by  his  order,  for  the  paupers 
of  the  metropolis,  and  sums  of  money  were  likewise  distributed  among 
them.  In  the  very  earliest  meetings,  he  protested  against  the  proceed- 
ings of  his  chamber,  and  joined  that  of  the  tiers-etat,  witli  the  dissentient 
members  of  his  order.  On  July  3d  he  was  nominated  president  of  tlie 
National  Assembly ;  but  he  refused  the  post,  and  busied  himself  in  cor- 
rupting the  regiment  of  French  guards,  and  in  preparing  the  events 
of  July  14th.  Lafayette  having  menaced  him  with  the  tribunals  if  he 
did  not  leave  France,  he  went  over  to  England;  but  at  the  end  of 


528  BIOGEAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

eight  months  returned,  and  was  received  with  transport  by  the  Jacobins. 
In  1791  M.  Thevenard,  before  he  resigned  the  administration  of  the 
marine,  caused  the  duke  to  be  appointed  admiral  of  France,  for  which 
the  latter  went  to  thank  the  King  in  person,  and  to  assure  him  how  gross- 
ly he  had  been  misrepresented.  When,  however,  he  appeared  at  the 
levee,  all  the  courtiers  insulted  him  in  the  most  outrageous  manner, 
to  which  he  would  never  be  persuaded  that  their  majesties  were  not 
privy,  and  this  excited  his  irreconcilable  enmity  against  them.  On  Sep- 
tember 15,  1792,  the  commune  of  Paris  authorized  him  to  assume  the 
name  of  Egalite  for  himself  and  his  descendants,  and  deputed  him  to 
the  ISTational  Convention.  When  the  King's  trial  took  place,  the  Duke  of 
Orleans  voted  for  the  death  of  his  cousin  Avith  a  degree  of  coolness 
which  irritated  the  majority  of  the  Jacobins  themselves,  and  excited 
murmurs  throughout  the  Assembly.  On  the  fatal  day  he  came  to  the 
Place  de  Louis  XV.,  and  was  present  during  the  execution,  in  an  open 
carriage;  as  soon  as  the  body  was  removed,  he  returned  to  the  Palais 
Royal,  and  went  in  a  carriage  drawn  by  six  horses  to  revel  at  Kaincy 
with  his  accomplices.  Towards  the  end  of  April,  Robespierre  caused 
his  name  to  be  erased  from  the  list  of  Jacobins,  though  Egalite  had 
sworn  to  the  Convention,  on  the  4th  of  the  same  month,  that  if  his  son, 
who  had  just  fled  with  Dumouriez,  was  guilty,  the  image  of  Brutus, 
which  was  before  his  eyes,  would  remind  him  of  his  duty.  Soon  after- 
wards a  warrant  was  issued  for  his  arrest ;  he  was  removed  to  the  prison 
of  Marseilles,  and,  after  six  months'  captivity,  sent  to  take  his  trial  at 
Paris.  As  a  matter  of  course,  the  revolutionary  tribunal  found  him 
guilty,  and  he  was  guillotined  on  j^ovember  6,  1793,  when  he  was 
forty-six  years  of  age.  He  shrugged  his  shoulders  on  hearing  the 
people  hiss  and  curse  him  as  he  was  led  to  death,  and  cried  out, 
"  They  used  to  applaud  me." — From  an  article  in  the  Biographie 
Moderne. 

OUDINOT,  Charles  ISTicholas,  was  born  at  Bar-sur-Ornain,  April 
25,  1767.  From  early  youth  he  expressed  a  wish  to  becom.e  a  soldier, 
obtained  a  commission,  and  rose  rapidly  through  the  subordinate  ranks, 
to  be  general  of  division.  Oudinot  distinguished  himself  under  Hoche, 
Pichegru,  ]\Ioreau,  Massena,  and  Bonaparte,  on  the  Rhine,  in  Switzer- 
land, and  in  Italy,  and  in  1804  was  made  count  of  the  empire.  His 
valor  at  Wagram  procured  him  the  liigher  title  of  Duke  of  Reggio, 
and  in  1809  he  at  length  obtained  the  baton.  In  the  Russian  expedition 
he  received  many  severe  wounds,  and  greatly  distinguished  himself  at 
Bautzen.  On  the  Emperor's  abdication  he  offered  his  services  to  Louis, 
Avho  made  him  colonel-general  of  the  grenadiers,  and  military  governor 
of  Metz.  During  the  Hundred  Days  he  resisted  all  Bonaparte's  over- 
tures, and  on  the  second  restoration  of  the  Bourbons  was  rewarded  by 
the  chief  command  of  the  Parisian  national  guard,  a  peerage,  and  a 
seat  in  the  cabinet.  Oudinot's  last  military  service  was  in  the  inva- 
sion of  Spain  in  1823,  where  he  exerted  himself  to  arrest  the  fanatic 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  529 


course  of  the  advocates  of  despotism.    lie  died  at  Paris,  September  13, 
1847. — Cuurt  and  Camp  of  Bonaparte. 

PAG  ERIE,    JosKi'iiiXE    Rose    Tascher    de    la,    Empress    of    the 
French,  Quccu  of  Italv,  was  burn  in  Martinique  in  1763.     While  very 
voung,  her  father  took  her  to  France  to  marry  her  to  the  \  iscouni 
Beauharnais.     She  was  then  in  the  prime  of  her  beauty,  and  met  witU 
great  success  at  court.      She  bore  her  husband  two  children    Eugene 
and  Hortanse,  an<l  in  1TS7  returned  to  Martini.iuc  to  attend  the  bed- 
side of  her  invalid  mother.     She  took  her  daughter  with  her  and  passed 
three  vears  in  that   island.      The  troubles,   however,  which  then   sud- 
denly broke  out,  compelled  her  to  return  to  France,  where  she  arrived, 
after  narrowlv  escaping  great  perils.     A  singular  prophecy  had  been 
made  to  her  when  a  child,  which  she  used  to  mention,  when  it  was 
apparentlv  fulfilled  in  her  high  destiny.     During  the  Reign  of  Terror, 
her  husband,  who  had  defended  France  at  the  head  of  its  armies,  was 
thrown  into  prison  and  execute^].     .Josephine  also  was  imprisoned,  but, 
on  the  death  of  Robespierre,  she  was  liberated  by  Tallien,  and  was  in- 
debted to  Barras  for  the  restoration  of  a  part  of  her  husband's  property. 
At  his  house  she  became  acquainted  with  Bonaparte,  who  married  her 
in  1796.    She  exerted  her  great  influence  over  him,  invariably  on  the  side 
of  mercv;  protected  many  emigrants,  and  encouraged  arts  and  industry. 
Xapoleon  used  often  to  say  to  her,  "  If  I  win  battles,  you  win  hearts. 
When  he  ascended  the  imperial  throne,  Josephine  was  crowned  with 
him    both  at  Paris  and  at  ^lilan.     She  loved  pomp  and  magnifaeence, 
and'was  very  extravagant  in  her  tastes.     A  few  years  after  her  corona- 
tion, the  Emperor  divorced  her,  when  she  retired  to  Ma  maison.     She 
was  soon  afterwards  doomed  to  see  the  destruction  of  that  throi^  on 
which  she  had  sat.     The  Emperor  Alexander  and  the  King  of  Prus- 
sia paid  her  frequent  visits  at  ^lalmaison,  but  the  fate  of  Napoleon 
undermined  hc-r  strength,  and,  having  exposed  herself,  while  in  a  feeble 
.tate  of  health,  bv  walking  out  with  Alexander,  she  caught  co  d,  and 
died    in    the   arms   of    her   children,    May    29,    ISU.  -  Encyclopa^dm 

Josephine  was  reallv  an  amiable  woman— the  best  woman  m  France 
She  was  the  greatest  patroness  of  the  fine  arts  which  that  country  had 
known  for  vears.  She  was  grace  personified.  Everything  she  did  was 
with  peculiar  elegance  and  delicacy.  I  never  saw  her  act  otherwise 
than  gracefullv  during  the  whole  time  we  lived  together  Her  toilet 
was  n  perfect  arsenal,  and  she  effectually  defended  herself  against  the 
assaults  of  time.— -4   Voice  from  St.  Helena. 

Josephine  possessed  personal  graces  and  many  good  qualities.  Benevo- 
lence was  natural  to  her,  but  she  was  not  always  prudent  in  its  exercise. 
Her  ta.te  for  splendor  and  expense  was  excessive.  This  proneness  to 
luxury  became  a  habit,  which  seemed  constantly  indulged  without  any 
motive.  ^Tiat  scenes  have  I  not  witnessed  when  the  moment  for  pay- 
ing the  tradesmen's  bills  arrived!     She  always  kept  back  one-half  of 


530  BIOGEAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

their  claims,  and  the  discovery  of  this  exposed  her  to  new  reproaches. — 
Bourrienne. 

At  the  period  of  her  marriage  with  Bonaparte,  Josephine  was  still  a 
fine  woman.  Her  teeth,  it  is  true,  were  already  frightfully  decayed; 
but  when  her  mouth  was  closed  she  looked,  especially  at  a  little  dis- 
tance, both  young  and  pretty. — Duchess  d' Ahrantes. 

PETION  (or  PETHION)  DE  VILLEIvTEUVE,  Jerome,  was  born 
at  Chartres  in  1753,  became  an  advocate  in  his  native  city,  and  was 
elected  by  the  third  estate  as  a  member  of  the  States-General,  1789,  and 
distinguished  himself  by  a  thorough  zeal  for  the  revolutionary  party. 
Endowed  with  a  pleasing  address  and  a  disposition  ever  enterprising, 
although  weak  in  danger,  he  became,  in  spite  of  the  mediocrity  of  his 
talents,  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  the  Revolution.  On  October  5th,  he 
denounced  the  banquets  of  the  body-guards,  and  seconded  the  designs  of 
the  faction  of  Orleans,  to  which  he  was  then  entirely  devoted.  On  the 
8th,  he  proposed  giving  to  the  King  the  title  of  "  King  of  the  French  by 
the  consent  of  the  Nation,"  and  suppressing  the  form  of  "  by  the  Grace 
of  God."  In  the  course  of  1790,  he  supported  the  revolutionary  party 
with  considerable  zeal.  On  December  4th,  the  National  Assembly  elected 
him  their  president.  In  June  following,  he  was  appointed  president  of 
the  Criminal  Tribunal  of  Paris.  When  the  Assembly  was  informed  of 
the  departure  of  Louis  XVI.,  he  was  one  of  the  three  commissioners  ap- 
pointed to  go  to  Varennes  after  this  prince.  At  the  end  of  September,  the 
Duke  of  Orleans  sent  him  to  England ;  and  on  his  return  he  obtained  the 
situation  of  mayor,  of  which  he  took  possession  on  November  18th.  It 
is  from  this  period  that  his  real  influence  may  be  dated,  as  well  as  the 
outrages  with  which  he  did  not  cease  to  overwhelm  the  King,  sometimes 
by  handbills,  and  sometimes  through  the  means  of  insurrections.  On 
August  3d,  he  formally  demanded  of  the  Assembly,  in  the  name  of  the 
Commune,  the  deposition  of  Louis.  On  the  10th,  he  took  care  to  be  con- 
fined at  home  by  the  insurgents  under  his  orders,  at  the  very  time  that 
his  adherents  were  preparing  to  attack  the  palace.  It  is  doubtful  whether 
Petion  were  privy  to  the  massacres  of  September,  although  Prudhomme 
declares  that  the  mayor,  the  ministers,  etc.,  were  agreed.  Being  ap- 
pointed Deputy  of  Eure-et-Loir  to  the  Convention,  he  was  the  first 
president  of  that  assembly,  which,  at  its  first  meeting  on  September  21, 
1792,  decreed  the  abolition  of  royalty.  From  that  time,  until  the  death 
of  Louis  XVI.,  Petion  ascended  the  tribune  almost  every  day  to  urge 
the  monarch's  execution ;  and  at  this  period  he  also  labored  in  the  in- 
terests of  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  to  whose  party  he  appeared  very  con- 
stantly attached.  In  November,  however,  a  hatred  which  was  in  the 
end  fatal  to  him,  began  to  break  out  between  Petion  and  Robespierre, 
although  up  to  that  time  they  had  been  called  the  two  fingers  of  the  hand. 
In  January,  1793,  he  voted  for  the  death  of  Louis  XVI. ;  and  on  March 
25th  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  first  committee  of  public  safety, 
and  of  general  defence.     From  the  declarations  of  General  Miaczinski, 


BIOGEAPIIICAL    SKETCHES.  533 

who  had  asserted  that  Petion  was  concerned  in  the  projects  of  Dumouriez, 
occasion  was  taken — through  the  means  of  Robespierre,  Danton,  and 
that  party — to  form  a  committee  for  examining  into  his  conduct.  On 
June  2d,  a  decree  of  accusation  was  passed  against  Petion,  and  on  July 
25th  he  was  outlawed  because  he  had  succeeded  in  escaping  from  his 
own  house.  In  1794  he  was  found  dead  of  hunger,  or  assassinated,  and 
half  devoured  by  beasts,  in  a  field  in  tlie  department  of  Gironde.  Petion 
is  said  to  have  had  an  air  of  haughtiness,  a  fine  face,  and  an  affable  look. 
— Biographie  Moderne. 

PHILIPPE,  Louis,  eldest  son  of  the  Duke  of  Orleans  (Egalite)  and 
of  Marie  Adelaide  de  Bourbon  Penthievre,  grand-daughter  of  a  natural 
son  of  Louis  XIV.  by  Madame  Montespan,  was  born  at  Paris  in  1773. 
The  line  of  Bourbon-Orleans  was  founded  by  Philippe,  brother  of  the 
Grand  Monarque,  who  conferred  on  him  the  duchy  of  Orleans.  In  1782, 
the  Duke  de  Chartres's  education  was  intrusted  to  the  Countess  de 
Genlis.  In  1792,  he  fought  under  Dumouriez  at  Valmi,  and  displayed 
great  bravery  and  judgment.  He  also  distinguished  himself  highly  at 
the  battle  of  Jemappes.  Shortly  afterwards,  having  frankly  expressed 
his  horror  of  the  revolutionary  excesses  in  France,  a  decree  of  arrest  was 
issued  against  him.  He  then  quitted  the  army  and  his  country,  and  ob- 
tained passports  for  Switzerland,  but  received  notice  that  no  part  of  the 
Cantons  was  safe  for  him.  Alone,  however,  and  on  foot,  and  almost 
without  money,  he  began  his  travels  in  the  interior  of  Switzerland  and 
the  Alps ;  and  at  length  obtained  the  situation  of  professor  at  the  college 
of  Reichenau,  where  he  taught  geography,  history,  and  the  French  and 
English  langaiages,  and  mathematics,  for  four  months,  without  having 
been  discovered.  It  was  here  he  learned  the  tragical  end  of  his  father. 
On  quitting  Reichenau,  the  Duke  de  Chartres,  now  become  Duke  of  Or- 
leans, retired  to  Bremgarten,  where  he  remained,  under  the  name  of 
Corby,  till  the  end  of  1794,  when,  his  retreat  being  discovered,  he  re- 
solved on  going  to  America;  but,  being  unable  to  obtain  the  necessary 
pecuniary  means,  he  travelled  instead  through  Norway  and  Sweden, 
journeyed  on  foot  with  the  Laplanders,  and  reached  the  Xorth  Cape  in 
1795.  In  the  following  year  he  set  out  for  America,  and  paid  a  visit  to 
General  Washington  at  Blount  Vernon.  He  afterwards  went  to  Eng- 
land, and  established  himself,  with  his  brothers,  at  Twickenham.  In 
1809  the  duke  was  married  at  Palermo,  to  the  Princess  Amelia,  daughter 
of  the  King  of  Sicily.  After  the  fall  of  Napoleon  he  returned  to  Paris ; 
and,  in  1815,  was  ordered  by  Louis  to  take  the  command  of  the  army  of 
the  North.  He  soon,  however,  resigned  it,  and  fixed  his  residence,  with 
his  family,  again  at  Twickenham.  After  the  Hundred  Days  he  went 
back  to  Paris,  took  his  seat  in  the  Chamber  of  Peers,  but  manifested 
such  liberal  sentiments,  as  to  render  himself  obnoxious  to  the  adminis- 
tration. In  consequence  of  the  memorable  events  of  July,  1830,  he  was 
proclaimed  lieutenant-general  of  the  kingdom,  and  finally,  on  the  abdica- 
tion of  Charles  X.,  King  of  the  French. — Encyclopaedia  Americana. 


534  BIOGKAPIIICAL    SKETCHES. 

PHILIPPEATJX,  Pierre,  ji  lawyer,  deputy  to  the  Convention,  voted 
for  the  King's  death.  He  was  afterwards  sent  into  La  Vendee  to  reor- 
ganize the  administration  of  jSTantes,  where  he  was  involved  in  a  conten- 
tion with  some  of  the  representatives  sent  into  the  same  country,  which 
ended  in  his  recall  to  Paris.  He  was  condemned  to  death  by  the  revolu- 
tionary tribunal,  in  the  thirty-fifth  year  of  his  age.  Philippeaux  was  an 
honest,  enthusiastic  republican. — Biographie  Moderne. 

PICHEGRU,  Charles,  a  French  general,  was  born  at  Arbois,  Febru- 
ary 16,  1761,  of  a  respectable  though  poor  family.  In  the  year  1792  he 
was  employed  on  the  staff  of  the  army  of  the  Rhine,  rose  rapidly  through 
the  ranks  of  general  of  brigade  and  of  division,  and,  in  1793,  assumed 
the  chief  command  of  that  same  army.  He  was  the  inventor  of  the 
system  of  sharp-shooting,  of  flying  artillery,  and  of  attacks  perpetually 
repeated,  which  rendered  the  enemy's  cavalry  almost  useless.  In  1794 
the  army  of  the  North  was  committed  to  Pichegru,  who  made  a  most  vic- 
torious campaign.  In  the  following  year  the  National  Convention  ap- 
pointed him  commandant  of  Paris  against  the  Terrorists,  whose  projects 
he  succeeded  in  overthrowing.  He  joined  the  army  of  the  Rhine  a  short 
time  after,  when  he  testified  a  desire  to  re-establish  the  house  of  Bourbon 
on  the  throne,  which,  coming  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Directory,  they  re- 
called him,  on  which  he  retired  to  his  native  place,  Arbois,  where  he 
spent  several  months  in  domestic  retirement.  In  1797  he  was  chosen 
president  of  the  council  of  Five  Himdred,  and  became  the  hope  of  the 
Clichyan  party.  He  was,  how^ever,  arrested  by  the  troops  of  the  direc- 
torial triumvirate,  conveyed  to  the  Temple,  and  condemned,  together 
with  fifty  other  deputies,  to  be  transported  to  Guiana.  After  some 
months'  captivity  in  the  pestilential  deserts  of  Sinnimari,  Pichegru  con- 
trived to  make  his  escape,  and  set  sail  for  England,  where  he  was  most 
warmly  received.  He  then  went  to  live  in  obscurity  in  Germany,  but, 
in  1804,  came  secretly  to  Paris  with  Georges  and  a  great  number  of  con- 
spirators, to  try  to  overturn  the  consular  government.  The  plot  being 
discovered,  Pichegru  was  arrested  and  conducted  to  the  Temple,  where 
he  was  one  morning  found  dead  in  his  bed.  Several  physicians  who  met 
on  the  occasion  asserted  that  he  had  strangled  himself  with  his  cravat. — 
Biographie  Moderne. 

"  Pichegru,"  observed  Napoleon,  "  instructed  me  in  mathematics  at 
Brienne,  when  I  was  about  ten  years  old.  He  possessed  considerable 
knowledge  in  that  science.  As  a  general,  he  was  a  man  of  no  ordinary 
talent,  far  superior  to  Moreau,  though  he  had  never  done  anything  ex- 
traordinary, as  the  success  of  his  campaigns  in  Holland  was  in  a  great 
measure  owing  to  the  battle  of  Fluerus.  Pichegru,  after  he  had  united 
himself  to  the  Bourbons,  sacrificed  the  lives  of  upwards  of  twenty 
thousand  of  his  soldiers,  by  throwing  them  purposely  into  the  enemy's 
hands,  whom  he  had  informed  beforehand  of  his  intentions. — A  Voice 
from  St.  Helena. 

Nature  had  made  Pichegru  a  soldier.     She  had  given  him  that  eagle 


BIOOBAPHICAL.    SKETCHES.  535 

eye  which  fixes  victory  on  the  field  of  battle,  but  she  had  denied  him  the 
qualities  of  a  statesman,  lie  was  a  mere  child  in  politics,  and  took  it 
into  his  head  to  conspire  openly,  before  the  face  of  the  Directory,  without 
once  thinking  that  the  Directors  liad  it  in  their  power  to  stop  him.  I 
know,  for  certain,  that  among  the  conditions  which  he  had  made  with 
the  royal  house  was  this,  that  a  statue  should  be  erected  to  him  in  his 
lifetime  as  the  restorer  of  the  monarchy.  Louis  XVIII.  has  faithfully 
executed  this  clause  of  the  contract,  not,  it  is  true,  during  the  general's 
life,  but  since  his  death,  I  have  seen  in  the  court  of  the  Louvre  this 
bronze  without  glory.  The  legitimacy  of  a  cause  never  removes  the 
stain  of  treason. — Memoirs  of  a  Peer  of  France. 

KABAUT  ST.  ETIEXNE,  Jean  Paul,  born  at  Nismes,  April,  1843, 
a  lawyer,  a  man  of  letters,  and  a  minister  of  the  reformed  religion,  was 
an  ardent  convert  of  the  Revolution,  and  a  sworn  enemy  to  the  Catholic 
clergy.  He  was  one  of  those  whose  sectarian  spirit  added  greatly  to  the 
Revolutionary  enthusiasm.  When,  however,  he  had  only  monarchy  to 
contend  against,  he  became  more  moderate.  On  the  occasion  of  the  King's 
trial,  he  forcibly  combated  the  opinion  of  those  who  desired  that  the 
Convention  should  itself  try  Louis.  At  the  time  of  the  nominal  appeal 
concerning  the  punishment  to  be  inflicted  on  the  King,  St.  Etienne  voted 
for  his  confinement,  and  his  banishment  in  the  event  of  a  peace,  as  well 
as  for  the  appeal  to  the  people  to  confirm  the  sentence.  In  1793,  he  was 
president  of  the  Xational  Convention ;  but,  opposing  the  Terrorist  party, 
a  decree  of  outlawry  was  passed  against  him,  and  he  was  executed  at 
Paris,  having  been  delivered  up  by  an  old  friend,  of  whom  he  went  to  beg 
an  asylum. — Biorirnphie  Modeme. 

REWBEL,  Jeax  Baptiste,  born  at  Colmar,  October  8,  1746,  chief  of 
the  barristers  in  the  supreme  council  of  Alsace,  was  long  the  agent  of 
several  Gorman  princes  who  had  possessions  in  Alsace,  and  afterwards 
undertook  <lifi"orent  causes  against  them,  which,  at  the  time  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, he  represented  as  a  mark  of  patriotism.  In  1791  he  presided  in 
the  Xational  Assembly,  and  next  to  Robespierre,  was  the  member  who 
most  plainly  showed  his  desire  for  a  republic.  In  the  following  year  he 
earnestly  pressed  the  King's  trial,  and  demanded  that  the  Queen  should 
be  included  in  the  same  decree  of  accusation.  Rewbel  took  care  to  keep 
in  the  background  during  the  stormiest  period  of  Robespierre's  reign, 
and  after  his  fall,  declared  loudly  against  the  Jacobins.  lie  was  a 
violent  man,  and  terminated  his  legislative  career  at  the  overthrow  of 
the  Directory,  under  which  his  eldest  son  was  adjutant-general. — Biogra- 
phie  Modeme. 

Rewbel,  who  inveighed  bitterly  against  the  Jacobins,  said,  "  Where 
has  tyranny  been  organized?  At  the  Jacobins.  Where  has  it  found  its 
supporters  and  its  satellites  ?  At  the  elacobins.  Who  have  covered 
France  with  mourning,  carried  despair  into  families,  filled  the  country 
with  prisons,  and  rendered  the  republic  so  odious  that  a  slave  pressed 
down  by  the  weight  of  his  irons  would  refuse  to  live  under  it?     The 


536  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

Jacobins.  Who  regret  a  change  in  the  frightful  government  iinder 
which  we  have  lived  ?  The  Jacobins.  If  you  have  not  now  the  courage 
to  declare  yourselves,  you  have  no  longer  a  republic,  because  you  have 
Jacobins. — Mignef. 

"  Rewbel,"  said  ^Napoleon,  "  born  in  Alsace,  was  one  of  the  best 
lawyers  in  the  town  of  Colmar.  He  possessed  that  kind  of  intelligence 
which  denotes  a  man  skilled  in  the  practice  of  the  bar.  His  influence 
was  always  felt  in  deliberations ;  he  was  easily  inspired  with  prejudices ; 
did  not  believe  much  in  the  existence  of  virtue ;  and  his  patriotism  was 
tinged  with  a  degree  of  enthusiasm.  He  bore  a  particular  hatred  to  the 
Germanic  system ;  displayed  great  energy  in  the  Assemblies,  both  before 
and  after  the  period  of  his  being  a  magistrate ;  and  was  fond  of  a  life 
of  application  and  activity.  He  had  been  a  member  of  the  Constituent 
Assembly  and  of  the  Convention.  Like  all  lawyers  he  had  imbibed  from 
his  profession  a  prejudice  against  the  army." — Las  Cases. 

ROBESPIERRE,  Maximilieist  Ekancois  Isidore,  was  bom  in 
Arras  in  1759.  His  father,  a  barrister  in  the  superior  coimcil  of  Artois, 
having  ruined  himself  by  his  prodigality,  left  Erance  long  before  the 
Revolution,  established  a  school  for  the  Erench  at  Cologne,  and  went 
to  England,  and  thence  to  America,  where  he  suffered  his  friends  to 
remain  ignorant  of  his  existence.  His  mother,  whose  name  was  Josepha 
Carreau,  was  the  daughter  of  a  brewer;  she  soon  died,  leaving  her  son, 
then  nine  years  of  age,  and  a  brother,  who  shared  his  fate.  The  Bishop 
of  Arras  contributed  to  send  Robespierre  to  the  college  of  Louis-le- 
Grand,  where  he  got  him  admitted  on  the  foundation.  One  of  the  pro- 
fessors there,  an  admirer  of  the  heroes  of  Rome,  contributed  greatly  to 
develop  the  love  of  republicanism  in  him ;  he  surnamed  him  the  Roman, 
and  continually  praised  his  vaunted  love  of  independence  and  equality. 
Assiduous  and  diligent,  he  went  through  his  studies  with  considerable 
credit,  and  gave  promise  of  talent  that  he  never  realized.  In  1Y75,  when 
Louis  XVI.  made  his  entry  into  Paris,  he  was  chosen  by  his  fellow 
students  to  present  to  that  prince  the  homage  of  their  gratitude.  The 
political  troubles  of  1788  heated  his  brain;  he  was  soon  remarked  in 
the  revolutionary  meetings  in  1789 ;  and  the  tiers-etat  of  the  province 
of  Artois  appointed  him  one  of  their  deputies  to  the  States-General. 
On  his  arrival  at  the  Assembly  he  obtained  very  little  influence  there ; 
however,  though  the  want  of  eloquence  did  not  permit  him  to  vie  with 
the  orators  who  then  shone  in  the  tribune,  he  began  to  acquire  great 
power  over  the  populace.  Eor  some  time  he  paid  court  to  Mirabeau, 
who  despised  him,  yet  he  accompanied  him  so  assiduously  in  the  streets 
and  public  squares  that  he  was  at  last  surnamed  Mirabeau's  ape.  In 
1790  he  continued  to  gain  power  over  the  rabble,  and  frequently  spoke 
in  the  Assembly.  On  the  King's  departure  for  Varennes  he  was  dis- 
concerted; but  as  soon  as  that  prince  had  been  arrested,  his  hopes  of 
overturning  the  monarchy  increased,  and  he  labored  hard  to  bring  on 
the  insurrections  which  took  place  in  the  Champ  de  Mars.    He  had  been 


BIOQEAPHICAL    SILETCHES.  537 

for  some  time  connected  with  Marat  and  Danton,  and  by  their  help 
he  exercised  great  authority  over  the  Jacobins,  and  through  them,  over 
the  capital.  He  was,  in  consequence,  denounced  by  the  Girondists, 
who  accused  him  of  aspiring  to  the  dictatorship.  He  was  one  of  the 
most  strenuous  advocates  for  the  King's  trial,  and  voted  for  his  execu- 
tion. After  overthrowing  tlie  party  of  the  Gironde,  he  turned  against 
his  old  allies,  the  Dantonists,  whom  he  brought,  together  with  their 
chief  leader,  to  the  scaffold,  from  which  time,  till  his  fall,  he  reigned 
without  rivals.  He  restored  tlie  worship  of  the  Supreme  Being,  which 
tJie  atheist  faction  of  the  Ilebertists  had  succeeded  in  abolishing.  After 
ruling  France  for  some  months  with  a  rod  of  iron,  he  was  arrested,  to- 
gether with  his  partisans,  by  the  Convention,  in  consequence  of  having 
excited  the  fear  and  distrust  of  some  of  his  colleagues  (Billaud-Varennes 
among  the  number).  At  the  moment  when  he  saw  that  he  was  going 
to  be  seized,  he  tried  to  destroy  himself  with  a  pistol-shot,  but  he  only 
shattered  his  under-jaw.  He  was  immediately  led  into  the  lobby  of 
the  meeting-hall,  then  shut  up  in  the  Conciergerie,  and  executed  on 
July  28,  1794.  As  he  was  proceeding  to  execution,  the  prisoners  ob- 
structing the  passage,  the  jailer  cried  out,  "  Make  way !  make  way !  I 
say,  for  the  incorruptible  man!" — for  Robespierre  was  always  vaunt- 
ing his  disinterestedness.  He  was  carried  in  a  cart  placed  between 
Ilenriot  and  Couthon ;  the  shops,  the  windows,  the  roofs,  were  filled  with 
spectators  as  he  passed  along,  and  cries  of  joy  accompanied  him  all  the 
way.  His  head  was  wrapped  up  in  a  bloody  cloth,  which  supported  his 
under-jaw,  so  that  his  pale  and  livid  countenance  was  but  half  seen. 
The  horsemen  who  escorted  him  showed  him  to  the  spectators  with  the 
point  of  their  sabres.  The  mob  stopped  him  before  the  house  where 
he  had  lived ;  some  women  danced  before  the  cart ;  and  one  of  them 
cried  out,  "  Descend  to  hell,  with  the  curses  of  all  wives  and  of  all 
mothers!"  The  executioner,  when  about  to  put  him  to  death,  roughly 
tore  the  dressing  off  his  wound ;  upon  which  he  uttered  a  horrible  cry ; 
his  under-jaw  separated  from  the  other;  the  blood  spouted  out;  and  his 
head  presented  a  most  hideous  spectacle.  He  died  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
five.  The  following  epitaph  was  written  for  him,  "  Passenger,  lament 
not  his  fate,  for  were  he  living,  thou  wouldst  be  dead."  Eobespierre 
had  not  any  of  those  accomplishments  or  brilliant  advantages  which 
seems  to  command  success.  He  was  hard  and  dry,  without  imagination 
and  without  courage;  neither  could  his  feeble  constitution,  his  gloomy 
countenance,  his  weak  sight,  and  almost  inaudible  voice,  prepossess  or 
seduce  the  multitude;  and  although,  in  public  speaking,  he  had  by  long 
habit  attained  some  degree  of  facility,  he  could  never  contend  with  the 
principal  orators  of  the  Convention ;  but  nature  seemed  to  supply  all 
the  resources  that  she  denied  him,  by  granting  him  the  art  of  profiting 
at  the  same  time  by  the  talents  of  others,  and  by  the  faults  which  they 
might  commit.  Strong  in  his  integrity  in  pecuniary  matters,  he  always 
took  care  to  open  the  path  of  honors,  and  especially  of  riches,  to  his 


538  BIOGEAPHICAL,    SKETCHES, 

rivals,  that  lie  might  be  furnished  with  additional  means  of  ruining 
them,  when  they  became  obnoxious  to  him.  Of  all  the  men  whom  the 
Eevolution  brought  into  notice,  none  has  left  a  name  so  generally  ab- 
horred as  Robespierre. — Biographie  Moderne. 

Robespierre,  observed  l^apoleon,  was  by  no  means  the  worst  char- 
acter who  figured  in  the  Revolution.  He  was  a  fanatic,  a  monster ;  but 
he  was  incorruptible,  and  incapable  of  robbing,  or  of  causing  the  deaths 
of  others,  either  from  personal  enmity,  or  a  desire  of  enriching  himself. 
He  was  an  enthusiast,  but  one  who  really  believed  that  he  was  acting 
rightly,  and  died  not  worth  a  sou.  In  some  respects,  Robespierre  may  be 
said  to  have  been  an  honest  man.  All  the  crimes  committed  by  Hebert, 
Chaumette,  Collot-d'Herbois,  and  others  were  imputed  to  him.  It  was 
truly  astonishing  to  see  those  fanatics,  who,  bathed  up  to  the  elbows 
in  blood,  would  not  for  the  world  have  taken  a  piece  of  money  or  a 
watch  from  the  victims  they  were  butchering!  Such  was  the  power 
of  fanaticism,  that  they  actually  believed  they  were  acting  well  at  a 
time  when  a  man's  life  was  no  more  regarded  by  them  than  that  of  a 
fly!  At  the  very  time  when  Marat  and  Robespierre  were  committing 
those  massacres,  if  Pitt  had  offered  them  two  hundred  millions  of 
money,  they  would  have  refused  it  with  indignation. — A  Voice  from 
St  Helena. 

ROLAND  DE  LA  PLATIERE,  Jean  Maeie,  born  at  Yillefranche, 
near  Lyons,  February  18,  1734,  of  a  family  distinguished  in  the  law  for 
its  integrity,  was  the  youngest  of  five  brothers,  left  orphans  and  without 
fortune.  In  order  to  avoid  entering  into  the  church,  like  his  elder 
brother,  he  left  home  at  the  age  of  nineteen ;  went  to  Rouen,  engaged  in 
the  direction  of  the  manufactories,  distinguished  himself  by  his  love  of 
study  and  his  taste  for  commercial  subjects,  and  obtained  the  place  of 
inspector-general,  first  at  Amiens,  and  then  at  Lyons.  He  married 
]\Ianon  Jeanne  Philipon,  Eebruary  4,  1Y80.  He  travelled  through  a 
great  part  of  Europe,  and  during  the  Revolution  sided  with  the 
Girondins.  He  made  great  efforts,  but  in  vain,  to  stop  the  September 
massacres.  In  1793  he  signed  the  order  for  the  King's  execution,  and 
was  soon  afterwards  involved  in  the  fall  of  his  party.  He,  however, 
contrived  to  escape  to  Rouen,  but,  as  soon  as  he  heard  of  his  wife's  exe- 
cution, he  resolved  not  to  survive  her;  and,  having  left  his  asylimi  in 
the  evening,  he  went  along  the  road  to  Paris,  sat  do^vn  against  a  tree, 
and  stabbed  himself  with  a  sword  that  he  had  brought  with  him  in  a 
cane.  He  killed  himself  so  quietly  that  he  did  not  change  his  attitude ; 
and  the  next  day  the  people  who  passed  by  thought  he  was  asleep.  A 
paper  was  found  about  him  couched  in  these  terms :  "  Whoever  you  may 
be  that  find  me  lying  here,  respect  my  remains;  they  are  those  of  a 
man  who  devoted  all  his  life  to  being  useful,  and  who  died  as  he  lived, 
virtuous  and  honest.  ITot  fear,  but  indignation,  has  made  me  quit  my 
retreat ;  when  I  learned  that  my  wife  had  been  massacred,  I  would  not 
remain  any  longer  in  a  world  stained  with  crimes."    Roland  was  of  an 


BIOGEAPllICAL    SKETCHES.  539 

irascible  temper,  and  deeply  versed  in  the  ancient  and  most  of  the  mod- 
ern languages. — Biographie  Moderne. 

ROLAND,  Manon  Jeanne  Philipon,  Madame,  was  born  at  Paris, 
March  17,  1754.  She  was  the  daughter  of  a  distinguished  engraver 
who  had  ruined  his  fortune  by  dissipation.  At  nine  years  old  she  made 
an  analysis  of  Plutarch.  In  1780,  she  married  Roland,  then  inspector  of 
the  manufactories.  In  1792,  having  appeared  at  the  bar  of  the  National 
Convention,  to  give  information  concerning  a  denunciation,  she  spoke 
with  remarkable  grace  and  dignity,  and  was  admitted  to  the  honors  of 
the  sitting.  In  1793,  she  was  condemned  to  death  together  with  other 
of  the  Girondins.  She  went  to  execution  with  irony  and  disdain  on  her 
lips ;  and  on  reaching  the  Place  de  la  Revolution,  she  bowed  to  the  statue 
of  liberty,  exclaiming,  "  O  Liberty,  how  many  crimes  are  committed  in 
thy  name !"  She  was  thirty-nine  years  of  age.  Without  being  beautiful, 
she  had  a  sweet  and  artless  countenance,  and  elegant  figure.  Her  large 
black  eyes  were  full  of  expression ;  her  voice  was  musical ;  and  her  con- 
versation peculiarly  attractive.  Her  mind  was  well  stored  with  knowl- 
edge, but  she  was  too  much  addicted  to  satire. — Biographie  Moderne. 

Condorcet,  alluding  to  Madame  Roland's  influence  over  her  husband, 
used  to  say,  "  When  I  wish  to  see  the  minister  of  the  interior,  I  can  never 
get  a  glimpse  of  anything  but  the  petticoats  of  his  wife." — History  of 
the  Convention. 

When  Madame  Roland  arrived  at  the  Conciergerie,  the  blood  of  the 
twenty-two  deputies  still  flowed  on  the  spot.  Though  she  well  knew  the 
fate  which  awaited  her,  her  firmness  did  not  forsake  her.  Although  past 
the  prime  of  life,  she  was  a  fine  woman,  tall,  and  of  an  elegant  form; 
an  expression  infinitely  superior  to  what  is  usually  found  in  women  was 
seen  in  her  large  black  eyes,  at  once  forcible  and  mild.  She  frequently 
spoke  from  her  window  to  those  witliout,  M'ith  the  magnanimity  of  a 
man  of  the  first  order  of  talent.  Sometimes,  however,  the  susceptibility 
of  her  sex  gained  the  ascendant,  and  it  was  seen  that  she  had  been  weep- 
ing, no  doubt  at  the  remembrance  of  her  daughter  and  husband.  As  she 
passed  to  the  examination,  we  saw  her  with  that  firmness  of  deportment 
which  usually  marked  her  character;  as  she  returned,  her  eyes  were 
moistened  with  tears,  but  they  were  tears  of  indignation.  She  had  been 
treated  with  the  grossest  rudeness,  and  questions  had  been  put  insulting 
to  her  honor.  The  day  on  which  she  was  condenmed,  she  had  dressed  her- 
self in  white,  and  with  peculiar  care;  her  long  black  hair  hung  down 
loose  to  her  waist.  After  her  condemnation,  she  returned  to  her  prison 
with  an  alacrity  which  was  little  sliort  of  pleasure.  By  a  sign,  that  was 
not  mistaken,  she  gave  us  all  to  understand  she  was  to  die. — Memoirs  of 
a  Prisoner. 

Madame  Roland's  defence,  composed  by  herself  the  night  before  her 
trial,  is  one  of  the  most  eloquent  and  touching  monuments  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. Her  answers  to  the  interrogatories  of  her  judges,  the  dignity  of  her 
manner,  and  the  beauty  of  her  figure,  melted  even  the  revolutionary 


540  PIOGBAFHICAL  SKETCHES.' 

audience.  She  was  conveyed  to  the  scaffold  in  the  same  car  with  a  man 
whose  firmness  was  not  equal  to  her  own.  While  passing  along  the 
streets,  her  whole  anxiety  appeared  to  be  to  support  his  courage.  She 
did  this  with  so  much  simplicity  and  effect  that  she  frequently  brought 
a  smile  on  the  lips  that  were  about  to  perish.  When  they  arrived  at  the 
foot  of  the  scaffold,  she  had  the  generosity  to  renounce,  in  favor  of  her 
companion,  the  privilege  of  being  first  executed.  "  Ascend  first,"  said 
she,  "  let  me  at  least  spare  you  the  pain  of  seeing  my  blood  flow."  Turn- 
ing to  the  executioner,  she  asked  if  he  would  consent  to  that  arrangement. 
He  replied  that  his  orders  were  that  she  should  die  the  first.  "  You  can- 
not," said  she  with  a  smile — "  you  cannot,  I  am  sure,  refuse  a  woman 
her  last  request."  Undismayed  by  the  spectacle  which  immediately  en- 
sued, she  calmly  bent  her  head  under  the  guillotine,  and  perished  with 
the  serenity  she  had  evinced  ever  since  her  imprisonment. — Alison. 

ROMME,  G.,  a  farmer  at  Gimeaux,  and  at  one  time  professor  of 
mathematics  and  philosophy,  was  born  in  1750,  and  was  deputed  to  the 
Convention,  where  he  voted  for  the  death  of  Louis,  and  showed  himself 
a  violent  Jacobin.  On  the  overthrow  of  the  Mountain,  he  dissembled  his 
principles  for  some  time,  but  could  not  help  showing,  in  the  affair  of 
Carrier,  his  disapprobation  of  the  system  of  retribution  which  then  pre- 
vailed. In  the  year  1795  Romme  devoted  himself  more  than  ever  to  the 
cause  of  the  Jacobins,  and  when  the  faubourgs  rose  in  insurrection  he 
showed  himself  one  of  their  most  ardent  chiefs,  and  loudly  demanded  a 
return  to  the  system  of  terror.  For  this,  a  decree  of  arrest  was  passed 
against  him,  and  a  military  council  condemned  him  to  death.  At  the 
moment,  however,  when  his  sentence  was  read,  he  stabbed  himself,  and 
was  supposed  to  be  dead,  Avhich  was  the  reason  why  he  was  not  sent  to 
the  scaffold.  It  has  since  been  believed  that  his  friends,  having  taken 
him  to  some  retreat,  their  cares  restored  him  to  life,  and  that  he  then 
went  secretly  into  Russia,  where  he  lived  in  utter  obscurity.  At  the  time 
of  his  condemnation  Romme  was  forty-five  years  of  age. — Biograpliie 
Moderne. 

One  day  my  brother  returned  home  dreadfully  agitated.  He  had  wit- 
nessed an  awful  scene.  Romme,  Soubrany,  Duroi,  Duquesnoi,  Goujon, 
and  Bourbotte,  were  condemned.  During  their  trial  they  had  exhibited 
the  most  admirable  fortitude,  feeling,  and  patriotism.  The  conduct  of 
Romme  in  particular,  is  said  to  have  been  sublime.  When  sentence  was 
pronounced  on  them,  they  surveyed  each  other  calmly ;  and  on  descending 
the  staircase  which  was  lined  with  spectators,  Romme  looked  about,  as  if 
seeking  somebody.  Probably  the  person  who  had  promised  to  be  there 
had  not  the  courage  to  attend.  "  'No  matter,"  said  he,  "  with  a  firm 
hand  this  will  do.  Vive  la  Liberte !"  Then  drawing  from  his  pocket  a 
very  large  penknife,  or  perhaps  it  might  more  properly  be  called  a  small 
poniard,  he  plunged  it  into  his  heart,  and,  drawing  it  out  again,  gave  it 
to  Goujon,  who  in  like  manner,  passed  it  to  Duquesnoi.  All  three  fell 
dead  instantly,  without  uttering  a  groan.     The  weapon  of  deliverance, 


MADAMF.    ROLAND. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES.  543 

transmitted  to  Soubranj  by  the  trembling  bands  of  Duquesnoi,  found  its 
way  to  the  noble  hearts  of  the  rest;  but  they  were  not  so  fortunate  as 
their  three  friends.  Grievously  wounded,  but  yet  alive,  they  fell  at  the 
foot  of  the  scaffold,  which  the  executioner  made  them  ascend,  bleeding 
and  mutilated  as  they  were.  Such  barbarity  would  scarcely  have  been 
committed  by  savages.  My  brother  stood  so  near  to  Romme,  to  whom  he 
wished  to  address  a  few  words  of  friendship  and  consolation,  that  the 
blood  of  the  unfortunate  man  spouted  on  him.  Yes,  my  brother's  coat 
was  stained  with  the  scarcely  cold  blood  of  a  man  who,  only  a  few  days 
before,  was  seated  in  the  very  chamber,  perhaps  in  the  very  chair,  in 
which  Albert  was  then  sitting. — Duchess  d'Ahrantes. 

R0:N^SI:N",  C.  p.,  was  born  at  Soissons  in  1752.  He  figured  in  the 
early  scenes  of  the  Revolution,  and  in  1789  brought  out  a  tragedy  which, 
though  despicable  in  point  of  style,  had  a  considerable  run.  He  associ- 
ated with  Hebert  and  Clootz,  and  became  a  general  in  the  army.  Be- 
ing denounced  by  Robespierre,  he  was  guillotined  in  1794.  His  dramatic 
pieces  were  collected,  and  published  after  his  death. — Scott's  Life  of 
Napoleon. 

ROSSIGNOL,  Jean  P.,  a  goldsmith  at  Paris,  a  man  of  naturally 
violent  passions  which  were  increased  by  want  of  education,  was  one 
of  the  heroes  of  the  Bastille,  and  one  of  the  actors  in  the  September 
massacres.  In  1793  he  was  made  lieutenant-colonel  of  a  regiment  of 
gendarmerie,  and  employed  against  the  Vendeans,  but  Biron  ordered 
him  to  be  imprisoned  at  ISTiort  for  extortion  and  atrocity.  He  was 
soon  afterwards  released,  but  forwarded  the  war  of  La  Vendee  but 
little,  being  seldom  victorious,  and  revenging  himself  for  his  want  of 
success  by  carrying  fire  and  sword  wherever  he  went.  Having  obtained 
the  chief  command  of  the  army  of  the  coasts  of  Brest,  he  became  more 
cruel  than  ever,  and  issued  a  proclamation  that  he  would  pay  ten  livres 
for  every  pair  of  ears  of  Vendeans  that  were  brought  him.  Rossignol 
gloried  in  his  barbarity,  and  one  day  at  a  supper  at  Saumur,  said, 
"Look  at  this  arm;  it  has  despatched  sixty-three  Carmelite  priests  at 
Paris."  Having  escaped  the  scaffold,  with  which  he  was  several  times 
threatened,  he  was  transported  in  1800,  and  being  carried  to  one  of  the 
islands  of  the  Indian  Archipelago,  died  there  in  the  year  1803. — 
Biographie  Moderne. 

ROVERE,  J.  M.  DE,  deputy  to  the  Convention,  was  the  son  of  a 
very  rich  innkeeper  in  the  country  of  Venaissin.  A  good  education  and 
plausible  address  furnished  him  with  the  means  of  introducing  himself 
into  the  best  society,  where  he  gave  himself  out  as  a  descendant  of  the 
ancient  family  of  Rovere  de  St.  Marc,  which  had  long  been  extinct. 
A  man  named  Pin,  well  kno\vn  at  Avignon  for  his  skill  in  forging  titles, 
made  him  a  genealogy,  by  means  of  which  he  found  himself  grafted 
on  that  illustrious  house,  and  took  the  title  of  Marquis  de  Fonville,  and 
soon  obtained  the  hand  of  a  Mademoiselle  de  Claret,  a  rich  heiress, 
whose  fortune  he  afterwards  dissipated.    In  1791  Bovere  figured  under 


544:  BIOGEAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

Jourdan  at  the  head  of  the  army  of  ruffians  of  Avignon.  In  1Y93  he 
voted  for  the  King's  death,  and  became  one  of  the  persecutors  of  the 
Girondins.  In  the  ensuing  year  he  declared  against  Robespierre.  In 
1Y95  he  presided  in  the  Convention;  but,  having  afterwards  rendered 
himself  obnoxious  to  the  ruling  powers,  was  transported  to  Cayenne, 
where  he  died  in  the  year  1798. — Biographie  Moderne. 

ST.  CYE,  Gouvioi^,  was  born  at  Toul,  April  13,  1764.  In  his  youth 
he  was  designed  for  a  painter,  and  he  even  travelled  through  Italy  to 
perfect  himself  in  his  art.  But  his  predilection  for  the  profession  of 
arms  was  irresistible ;  so  that  when  the  Revolution  broke  out  he  en- 
tered into  a  company  of  volunteers,  and  was  soon  sent  to  join  the  French 
armies  on  the  Rhine.  In  1795  he  commanded  a. division,  and  fought 
under  Pichegru,  ]\Ioreau,  and  Massena,  by  all  of  whom  he  was  esteemed, 
not  only  for  his  extensive  knowledge  of  tactics,  but  for  his  virtues. 
With  Bonaparte,  however,  he  was  never  a  favorite.  There  was,  in  fact, 
a  downright  simplicity  about  him,  and  as  for  flattery,  he  knew  not  what 
it  meant.  The  Legion  of  Honor  w^as  open  to  him,  and  he  was  apiDointed 
colonel-general  of  the  cuirassiers,  but,  though  one  of  the  ablest  officers 
in  the  army,  he  was  not  for  many  years  made  a  marshal.  He  expected 
that  dignity  as  a  reward  for  reducing  some  fortresses  in  Spain,  but 
he  was  soon  afterwards  superseded  by  Augereau,  and  punished  with  tw^o 
'years'  exile  from  the  imperial  presence.  At  the  close  of  the  Russian 
campaign,  St.  Cyr,  at  length  marshal,  commanded  the  corps  of  Oudinot, 
who  had  been  severely  wounded.  He  fought  at  the  battle  of  Dresden, 
and  was  left  in  that  city  when  ISTapoleon  fell  back  on  Leipsic.  On  the 
restoration,  Louis  received  him  favorably,  and  raised  him  to  the  cham- 
ber of  peers. — Court  and  Camp  of  Bonaparte. 

ST.  JUST,  Antoine,  was  born  in  the  ISTivernais  in  1768.  He,  with 
Robespierre  and  Couthon,  formed  the  triumvirate  in  May,  1793.  He 
was  guillotined,  July  28,  1794.  A  cold  and  austere  fanatic,  who  at  the 
age  of  twenty  was  devising  a  perfectly  ideal  state  of  society,  in  w^hich 
absolute  equality,  simplicity,  austerity,  and  an  indestructible  force 
should  reign.  Long  before  August  10th,  he  had  brooded  in  the  re- 
cesses of  his  gloomy  mind  over  this  supernatural  society,  and  he  had 
arrived  through  fanaticism  at  that  extremity  of  human  opinions,  to 
which  Robespierre  had  arrived  solely  by  dint  of  hatred.  'New  to  the 
Revolution,  upon  wdiich  he  had  scarcely  entered,  as  yet  a  stranger  to  all 
its  struggles,  to  all  its  wrongs,  to  all  its  crimes,  ranged  in  the  party  of 
the  Mountain  by  the  violence  of  his  opinions,  delighting  the  Jacobins 
by  the  boldness  of  his  sentiments,  captivating  the  Convention  by  his 
talents,  still  he  had  not  yet  acquired  popular  reputation.  His  ideas, 
always  favorably  received,  but  not  always  comprehended,  had  not  their 
full  effect  till  they  had  become,  through  the  plagiarisms  of  Robespierre, 
more  common,  more  clear,  and  more  declamatory.  —  Thiers'  French 
Revolution. 

St.  Just  was  austere  in  manners,  like  Robespierre,  but  more  enthusi- 


J.. 


BIOGEAPHICAL    SKETCHES,  547 

astic;  and  the  image  of  a  thousand  religions  or  political  fanatics,  who, 
being  of  a  gloomy  temperament,  and  full  of  visionary  aspirations, 
think  that  good  is  always  to  be  worked  out  of  evil,  and  are  ready  to  sac- 
rifice themselves  and  the  whole  world  to  any  scheme  they  have  set  their 
minds  upon.  St.  JTust  was  nicknamed  the  Apocalyptic. — Hazlitt's  Life 
of  Napoleon. 

St.  Just  exhibited  the  true  features  of  gloomy  fanaticism;  a  regular 
visage,  dark  and  lank  hair,  a  penetrating  and  severe  look,  a  melancholy 
expression  of  countenance,  revived  the  image  of  those  desperate  Scottish 
enthusiasts  of  whom  modern  genius  has  draA\Ti  so  graphic  a  picture.  Sim- 
ple and  unostentatious  in  his  habits,  austere  in  private,  and  indefatiga- 
ble in  public,  St.  Just  was  the  most  resolute,  because  the  most  sincere, 
of  the  Decemvirs.  Enthusiastic  in  his  passion  for  the  multitude,  he 
disdained  to  imitate  its  vices,  or  pander  to  its  desires.  Steeled  against 
every  sentiment  of  pity,  he  demanded  the  execution  of  victims  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  supply  of  armies. — Alison. 

SAMSO]Sr.  Two  brothers  of  this  name  officiated  at  the  death  of 
Louis  XVI.,  Marie  Antoinette,  Hebert,  Danton,  Robespierre,  etc. ;  they 
were  the  official  executioners. 

Mercier  speaks  of  the  elder  brother  in  his  Nouveau  Tableau  de  Paris: 
"  What  a  man  is  that  Samson !  Insensible  to  suffering,  he  has  always 
been  identified  with  the  axe  of  execution.  He  has  beheaded  the  most 
powerful  monarch  in  Europe,  his  queen,  Couthon,  Brissot,  Robespierre, 
— and  all  this  with  a  composed  countenance !  He  cuts  off  the  head  that 
is  brought  to  him,  no  matter  whose.  What  does  he  say  ?  What  does  he 
think?  I  should  like  to  know  what  passes  in  his  head,  and  whether 
he  considers  his  terrible  functions  only  as  a  trade.  The  more  I  medi- 
tate on  this  man,  the  president  of  the  great  massacre  of  the  human  species, 
overthrowing  crowned  heads  like  that  of  the  purest  republican,  without 
moving  a  muscle,  the  more  my  ideas  are  confounded.  How  did  he 
sleep,  after  receiving  the  last  words,  the  last  looks,  of  all  those  sev- 
eral heads?  I  really  would  give  a  trifle  to  be  in  the  soul  of  this  man 
for  a  few  hours.  He  sleeps,  it  is  said,  and  very  likely  his  conscience 
may  be  at  perfect  rest.  The  guillotine  has  respected  him,  as  making 
one  body  with  itself.  He  is  sometimes  present  at  the  Vaudeville.  He 
laughs — looks  at  me — my  head  has  escaped  him — he  knows  nothing  about 
it;  and  as  that  is  very  indifferent  to  him,  I  never  grow  weary  of  con- 
templating in  him  the  indifference  with  which  he  has  sent  a  crowd  of 
men  to  the  other  world." 

SANTERRE,  Antonio  Joseph,  was  born  at  Paris  in  1752.  He  be- 
came a  brewer  in  the  faubourg  St.  Antoine,  at  Paris.  He  possessed 
a  boldness  and  energy  which  gave  him  great  weight  in  his  own  neigh- 
borhood. Though  ignorant,  he  knew  well  how  to  address  a  mob,  which 
made  him  courted  by  the  Orleanists.  On  the  taking  of  the  Bastille  he 
distinguished  liimself  at  the  head  of  the  forces  of  his  faubourg,  and 
when  the  national  guard  was  formed,  he  was  appointed  commander 


548  BIOGKAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

of  a  battalion.  In  1793  he  began  to  obtain  decided  influence  with  the 
people,  and  on  August  10th,  becoming  commander  of  the  national  guard, 
he  conducted  the  King  to  the  Temple.  Yet,  notwithstanding  his  demo- 
cratic zeal,  he  was  not  considered  fit  to  direct  the  massacres  in  the 
prisons.  Marat  said  of  him,  that  he  was  a  man  without  any  decided 
character.  On  December  11th  he  conducted  the  King  to  the  bar  of  the 
National  Convention,  on  the  occasion  of  his  trial;  and  in  January, 
1793,  commanded  the  troops  who  superintended  his  execution.  It  was 
Santerre  who  interrupted  the  unfortunate  monarch  when  he  attempted 
to  address  the  people,  by  ordering  the  drums  to  be  beat.  Wishing  to  fig- 
ure as  a  warrior,  Santerre  departed,  with  14,000  men,  to  fight  the  royal- 
ists in  La  Vendee ;  he  was,  however,  continually  unsuccessful ;  and  on  one 
occasion,  it  having  been  reported  that  he  was  killed,  this  epitaph  was 
made  on  him :  "  Here  lies  General  Santerre,  who  had  nothing  of  Mars 
but  his  beer."  Santerre  survived  the  troubles  of  the  Revolution,  and 
died  at  Paris,  February  6,  1809. — BiograpMe  Modeme. 

SIEYES,  Emanuel  Joseph,  Count,  was  born  at  Frejus,  May  3,  1748, 
deputy  to  the  States-General,  president  of  the  !Rational  Assembly,  mem- 
ber of  the  Convention,  and  of  the  council  of  Five  Hundred,  was  elected 
a  Director,  May  16,  1799,  and  was  Consul  from  liovember  9  to  Decem- 
ber 24,  1799.     He  died  in  Paris,  June  20,  1836. 

Sieyes,  observed  N^apoleon,  before  the  Revolution  was  almoner  to 
one  of  the  princesses.  One  day,  when  he  was  performing  mass  in  the 
chapel  before  herself,  her  attendants,  and  a  large  congregation,  some- 
thing occurred  which  made  the  princess  get  up  and  retire.  Her  exam- 
ple was  followed  by  her  ladies-in-waiting,  and  by  the  whole  of  the 
nobility,  officers,  and  others,  who  attended  more  out  of  complaisance  to 
her  than  from  any  true  sense  of  religion.  Sieyes  was  very  busy  reading 
his  breviary,  and  for  some  time  did  not  perceive  the  general  desertion. 
Lifting  up  his  eyes,  however,  from  his  book,  lo !  he  observed  that  the 
princess,  nobles,  and  all  their  retainers,  had  disappeared.  With  an 
air  of  contempt,  displeasure,  and  haughtiness,  he  shut  the  book,  hastily 
descended  from  the  pulpit,  exclaiming,  "  I  do  not  say  mass  for  the 
canaille,"  and  went  out  of  the  chapel,  leaving  the  service  half-finished. — 
A  Voice  from  8t.  Helena. 

The  Abbe  Sieyes  rendered  himself  remarkable  on  the  occasion  of  the 
King's  trial.  When  his  turn  came  to  ascend  the  tribune,  he  pronoimced 
the  words  "  Death,  sans  phrase/'  This  expression  was  afterwards  paro- 
died in  a  cutting  manner  by  a  minister  of  the  King  of  Prussia,  whom 
Caillard,  the  French  minister,  had  requested  to  pay  some  attention  to 
Sieyes,  who  was  going  as  ambassador  to  Berlin.  "  ISTo,"  replied  he ; 
"  and  sans  phrase." — Memoirs  of  a  Peer  of  France. 

Bonaparte  said  to  me  one  day,  "  That  fool  Sieyes  is  as  credulous  as 
a  Cassandra."  In  the  intercourse,  not  very  frequent  certainly,  which 
I  had  with  him,  he  appeared  to  be  far  beneath  the  reputation  which 
be  had  acquired.     He  reposed  a  blind  confidence  in  a  multitude  of 


BIOGEAPIIICAL    SKETCHES.  549 

agents,  wliom  lie  had  sent  into  all  parts  of  France.  Sioyes  had  written 
in  his  countenance,  ''  Give  me  money."  I  recollect  that  I  one  day 
alluded  to  this  expression  in  the  anxious  face  of  Sieyes  to  the  First  Con- 
sul. "  You  are  right,"  observed  he  to  me,  smiling,  "  when  money  is 
in  question,  Sieyes  is  quite  a  matter-of-fact  man.  He  sends  his  ideology 
to  the  right  about,  and  thus  becomes  easily  manageable.  He  readily 
abandons  his  constitutional  dreams  for  a  good  round  sum,  and  that  is 
very  convenient."  M.  de  Talleyrand,  who  is  so  capable  of  estimating 
men,  and  whose  admirable  sayings  well  deserve  to  occupy  a  place  in 
history,  had  long  entertained  an  indifferent  opinion  of  Sieyes.  One 
day,  when  he  was  conversing  with  the  second  consul  concerning  him, 
Cambaccres  said,  "  Sieyes,  however,  is  a  very  profound  man."  "  Pro- 
found !"  said  Talleyrand,  "  yes,  he  is  a  cavity,  a  perfect  cavity,  as  you 
would  say." — Bourriennes  Memoirs  of  Napoleon. 

Sieyes  had  acquired  a  high  reputation,  not  only  by  the  acuteness  of 
his  metapliysical  talent,  but  by  a  species  of  mystery  in  which  he  involved 
himself  and  his  opinions.  He  was  certainly  possessed  of  great  knowledge 
and  experience  in  the  affairs  of  France,  was  an  adept  in  the  composi- 
tion of  new  constitutions  of  all  kinds ;  and  had  got  a  high  character,  as 
possessed  of  secrets  peculiarly  his  own,  for  conducting  the  vessel  of  the 
state  amid  the  storms  of  revolution.  He  managed,  in  fact,  his  reputa- 
tion, as  a  prudent  trader  does  his  stock.  A  temper  less  daring  in  action 
than  bold  in  metapliysical  speculation,  and  a  considerable  regard  for 
his  OAvn  personal  safety,  accorded  well  with  his  affected  air  of  mystery 
and  reserve. — Scott's  Life  of  Napoleon. 

SOULT,  l^icoLAs  Jean  de  Dieu,  was  born  at  St.  Amans,  March  29, 
1769,  and  entered  the  army  in  his  sixteenth  year.  Under  Hoche,  and 
then  under  Jourdan,  he  distinguished  himself  by  his  skill  and  bravery; 
and  at  the  battle  of  Fleurus,  in  particular,  he  exhibited  talents  of  the 
highest  order.  In  1794  he  was  made  general  of  brigade,  and,  four  years 
afterwards,  of  division.  The  First  Consul  knew  Soult  by  report,  and  one 
day  inquired  of  Massena  whether  he  deserved  his  reputation.  "  Both 
for  judgment  and  courage,"  replied  the  veteran,  "  I  can  recommend  him 
as  one  who,  in  my  opinion,  has  scarcely  a  superior."  In  consequence  of 
this  praise  Soult  was  intrusted  with  the  command  of  the  chasseurs  of  the 
consular  guard.  When  the  invasion  of  England  was  resolved  on,  he  was 
placed  over  the  army  encamped  from  Boulogne  to  Calais,  where  he 
established  the  severest  discipline.  In  1804  he  was  presented  with  the 
marshal's  truncheon.  When  his  generals  surrounded  Xapoleon  to  receive 
his  final  instructions  at  Austerlitz,  all  that  he  said  to  Soult  was,  "  To 
you,  marshal,  I  have  only  to  observe — act  as  you  always  do."  In  the  heat 
of  this  celebrated  battle  an  aide-de-camp  arrived  with  an  order  that  he 
should  instantly  take  the  heights  of  Pratzen.  "  I  will  obey  the  Emperor's 
commands  as  soon  as  I  can,"  replied  the  marshal ;  "  but  this  is  not  the 
proper  time."  This  kindled  the  Emperor's  rage,  who  despatched  another 
aide-de-camp  with  a  more  peremptory  mandate.    He  arrived  just  as  Soult 


550  BIOGKAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

was  putting  his  column  in  motion.  The  manoeuvre  had  been  delayed  only 
because  the  Russians  were  extending  their  line  to  the  left,  and  so  weaken- 
ing their  centre,  which  was  in  possession  of  the  heights.  Complete  suc- 
cess attended  the  marshal's  attack.  ISTapoleon  from  his  eminence  per- 
ceived at  once  the  reason  of  the  delay  and  the  brilliancy  of  the  movement. 
He  rode  up  to  Soult,  and,  in  presence  of  the  whole  staff,  told  him  that  he 
accounted  him  the  ablest  tactician  in  the  empire.  For  his  behavior  at 
Eylau  he  was  created  Duke  of  Dalmatia,  and  soon  afterwards  sent  to 
Spain,  where  he  was  defeated  by  Sir  John  Moore  at  Corunna,  to  whose 
memory  he  erected  a  statue  near  the  spot  where  he  had  fallen.  He  next 
invaded  Portugal,  where  he  met  with  no  better  success.  After  remaining 
two  years  in  the  Peninsula,  defeated  in  every  action  he  fought  with 
Wellington,  Soult  was  called  to  Germany,  and  was  present  at  the  battle 
of  Bautzen.  While  at  Dresden,  news  arrived  of  the  defeat  of  the  French 
at  Vittoria,  on  which  he  was  again  hurried  off  to  Spain  to  check  the 
advance  of  Wellington.  But  he  was  as  unsuccessful  as  on  the  former 
occasion,  and  received  his  final  defeat  under  the  walls  of  Toulouse.  On 
the  restoration  of  the  Bourbons  he  received  the  portfolio  of  the  ministry 
of  war,  but  on  the  escape  of  ]!^apoleon  from  Elba  he  sided  with  him,  and 
fought  at  Waterloo.  In  1816  he  was  banished  from  Prance,  but  in  three 
years  he  received  permission  to  return,  and  in  1821  his  marshal's  staff 
was  restored  to  him. — Court  and  Camp  of  Bonaparte. 

Soult,  by  a  show  of  superior  piety,  had  the  art  to  ingratiate  himself 
with  Charles  X.  and  his  priestly  advisers.  On  the  do%vnfall  of  that 
dynasty  in  1830,  Louis  Philippe  appointed  him  to  a  place  in  the  ministry, 
which  he  held  for  some  time,  and  then  resigned.  The  marshal,  a  shrewd, 
worldly  man,  a  skilful  soldier,  and  a  consummate  courtier,  was  appoint- 
ed ambassador  to  England  in  1838.  He  died  at  Soultberg,  ISTovember 
26,  1851. 

STAEL-HOLSTEIN",  Baeoitess  de,  born  at  Paris,  April  22,  1786, 
was  the  daughter  of  the  well-known  !N"ecker.  Her  birth,  her  tastes, 
her  principles,  the  reputation  of  her  father,  and  above  all,  her  conduct  in 
the  Revolution,  brought  her  prominently  before  the  world ;  and  the  po- 
litical factions,  and  the  literary  circles  with  which  she  has  been  con- 
nected, have  by  turns  disputed  with  each  other  for  her  fame.  After  the 
death  of  Robespierre,  she  returned  to  Paris,  and  became  an  admirer  of 
Bonaparte,  with  whom  she  afterwards  quarrelled,  and  who  banished  her 
from  Prance.  She  went  to  live  at  Coppet,  where  she  received  the  last 
sighs  of  her  father,  and  where  she  herself  died.  She  published  many 
works,  the  best  of  which  is  her  novel  of  Corinne.  When  in  England,  in 
1812,  she  was  much  courted  by  the  higher  classes. — Biographie  Moderne. 

Madame  de  Stael,  said  ISTapoleon,  was  a  woman  of  considerable 
talent  and  great  ambition ;  but  so  extremely  intriguing  and  restless,  as 
to  give  rise  to  the  observation  that  she  would  throw  her  friends  into  the 
sea,  that,  at  the  moment  of  drowning,  she  might  have  an  opportunity  of 
saving  them.    Shortly  after  my  return  from  the  conquest  of  Italy,  I  was 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES,  551 

accosted  by  her  in  a  large  company,  though  at  that  time  I  avoided  going 
out  much  in  public.  She  followed  me  everywhere,  and  stuck  so  close  that 
I  could  not  shake  her  off.  At  last  she  asked  me,  "  Who  is  at  this  moment 
the  first  woman  in  the  world  ?"  intending  to  pay  a  compliment  to  me,  and 
thinking  that  I  would  return  it.  I  looked  at  her,  and  coldly  replied, 
"  She  who  has  borne  the  greatest  number  of  children — an  answer  which 
greatly  confused  her."  The  Emperor  concluded  by  observing  that  he 
could  not  call  her  a  wicked  woman,  but  that  she  was  a  restless  intriguante, 
possessed  of  considerable  talent  and  influence. — A  Voice  from  St.  Helena. 

STOFFLET,  one  of  the  Vendean  generals,  was  at  the  head  of  the 
parishes  on  the  side  of  Maulevrier.  He  was  from  Alsace,  and  had  served 
in  a  Swiss  regiment.  He  was  a  large  and  muscular  man,  forty  years  of 
age.  The  soldiers  did  not  like  him,  as  he  was  harsh  and  absolutely 
brutal ;  but  they  obeyed  him  better  than  any  other  officer,  which  rendered 
him  extremely  useful.  lie  was  active,  intelligent,  and  brave,  and  the 
generals  had  great  confidence  in  him. — Memoirs  of  the  Marchioness  de 
Larochejaquelein. 

That  intrepid  Vendean  chief,  Stofflet,  pressed  by  the  forces  of  the  re- 
public, after  braving  and  escaping  a  thousand  dangers,  was,  at  length, 
betrayed  by  one  of  his  own  followers,  at  the  farm  of  Pegrimaud,  where 
he  was  seized,  gagged,  conducted  to  Angers,  and  executed. — Jomini. 

SUCHET,  Louis  Gabriel,  born  at  Lyons,  March  2,  17Y0,  fought  in 
Italy,  and  rose  by  1798  to  be  general  of  brigade.  He  added  to  his  reputa- 
tion in  Egypt  and  again  in  Italy,  served  as  general  of  division  under 
Joubert  in  1799,  and  in  1800  was  second  in  command  to  Massena.  He 
checked  an  Austrian  invasion  of  the  south  of  France  (1800),  took  part 
in  the  campaigns  against  Austria  (1805)  and  Prussia  (1806),  and  as 
generalissimo  of  the  French  army  in  Aragon  reduced  the  province  to 
submission,  securing  a  marshal's  baton.  In  1812  he  destroyed  Blake's 
army  at  Sagunto,  and  by  his  capture  of  Valencia  earned  the  title  of 
Duke  of  Albufera.  He  was  created  a  peer  of  France  by  Louis  XVIII. , 
but  joined  l^apoleon  on  his  return  from  Elba.  Deprived  of  his  peerage 
after  Waterloo,  it  was  restored  to  him  in  1822.  He  died  at  Marseilles, 
January  3,  1826. 

TALLEYRA:N'D-PERIG0RD,  Charles  Maurice,  minister  for 
foreign  affairs,  ci-devant  bishop  of  Autun,  Abbe  of  Celles  and  St.  Denis, 
was  born  at  Paris,  January  13,  1754,  and  as  deputy  from  the  clergy  of 
the  bailiwick  of  Autun,  joined  the  meeting  of  the  commons  on  the  open- 
ing of  the  States-General.  He  combined  with  natural  ability  a  great 
facility  of  labor  and  application.  His  name,  his  dignities,  and  his 
example,  operated  on  a  great  number  of  deputies,  who  were  wholly 
guided  by  his  counsels.  On  August  20,  1789,  Talleyrand  procured  the 
adoption  of  an  article  concerning  the  admission  of  all  citizens,  without 
distinction,  to  all  offices.  Three  days  afterwards,  he  opposed  the  men- 
tion of  divine  worship  in  the  declaration  of  the  rights  of  man,  and  main- 
tained that  it  was  in  the  constitutional  act  that  the  holy  name  of  the 


552  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

Catholic  religion  ought  to  be  pronounced.  In  August,  October,  and  No- 
vember, he  made  speeches  on  the  finances,  in  one  of  which  he  recom- 
mended the  sale  of  church  property.  In  February,  1Y90,  he  composed 
the  famous  address  to  the  French,  to  remind  them  of  what  the  National 
Assembly  had  already  done  for  them,  and  still  intended  to  do;  and  on 
July  14th  he  celebrated  the  mass  of  the  Federation.  On  December  29th, 
he  published  an  address  to  the  clergy,  giving  an  account  of  the  motives 
which  had  induced  him  to  take  the  constitutional  oath,  and  exhorting 
them  to  follow  his  example.  In  March  and  November,  1791,  he  joined 
the  Abbe  Sieyes  in  defending  the  non-juring  priests.  Having  been  very 
intimate  with  Mirabeau,  he,  in  the  tribune  in  March,  1791,  read  a  long 
discourse  on  Inheritances,  which  that  great  statesman  had  intrusted  to 
him  on  his  death-bed,  in  order  that  he  should  communicate  it  to  the 
Assembly.  Assisted  by  the  Bishops  of  Lydia  and  Babylon,  Talleyrand 
consecrated  the  first  bishops  who  were  called  constitutional,  an  act  which 
drew  upon  him  the  displeasure  of  the  court  of  Rome.  After  the  session 
he  was  sent  to  England  as  private  negotiator,  in  order  to  conclude  a  treaty 
of  peace  between  the  two  nations,  but  failed  in  his  negotiation.  Terrified 
at  the  blood  which  was  so  lavishly  poured  forth  in  France,  and  informed 
also  that  after  August  10,  1792,  papers  had  been  found  at  the  Tuileries 
which  might  compromise  him,  he  retired  to  the  United  States.  After  the 
9th  Thermidor,  1794,  he  returned  to  Paris,  became  a  member  of  the  Na- 
tional Institute,  and  in  1797  he  entered  on  the  administration  of  foreign 
affairs.  From  that  time  he  began  to  acquire  great  influence  in  the  gov- 
ernment, and  was  one  of  those  who  contrived  the  events  of  the  18th  Bru- 
maire.  In  1802,  after  the  re-establishment  of  Catholic  worship  in  France, 
the  First  Consul  obtained  for  Talleyrand  a  brief  from  the  Pope,  which 
restored  him  to  a  secular  and  lay  life,  and  authorized  his  marriage  with 
Mrs.  Grant. — Biographie  Moderne. 

Talleyrand  remained  in  the  administration  of  foreign  affairs,  up  to  the 
period  of  the  disastrous  Russian  campaign,  when  he  began  to  make  secret 
overtures — at  least  so  it  is  reported  of  him  by  Napoleon's  biographers — 
to  the  Bourbons.  On  the  Emperor's  downfall,  he  held  office  for  a  time 
under  Louis  XVIII.  as  minister  of  foreign  affairs,  1814;  assisted  at  the 
Congress  of  Vienna,  1814-15;  made  grand  chamberlain  September  28, 
1815,  and  on  the  expulsion  of  Charles  X.  was  appointed  ambassador  to 
England  by  Louis  Philippe,  serving  from  September  5,  1830,  to  Janu- 
ary 7,  1835.    He  died  at  Paris,  May  17,  1838. 

TALLIEN,  Jean  Lambert,  born  at  Paris  in  1769,  son  to  the  porter 
of  a  nobleman,  became  afterwards  an  attorney's  clerk,  and,  lastly,  cor- 
rector of  the  press  in  the  Moniteur  office.  On  August  10,  1792,  he  was 
named  secretary-general  for  the  commune,  and,  from  that  time,  began 
to  play  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  Revolution.  He  warmly  urged  the 
trial  of  Louis  XVI.,  and  opposed  the  granting  him  counsel.  During  the 
year  1793  he  was  out  on  missions,  and  everywhere  conducted  himself 
like  a  zealous  partisan  of  revolutionary  measures.     Love,  however,  ap- 


BIOQEAPHICAL  SKETCHES,  S53 

peared  all  at  once  to  change  his  character.  Madame  de  Fontenai,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Cabarrus,  had  come  to  Bordeaux  in  order  to  embark 
for  Spain,  whither  she  was  going  to  join  her  husband;  she  was  im- 
prisoned, and,  fearing  to  increase  the  number  of  victims,  she,  in  order 
to  save  her  life,  flattered  the  violent  passion  with  which  she  had  in- 
spired Tallien,  who,  from  that  time,  entirely  given  up  to  luxury  and 
pleasure,  not  only  ceased  to  persecute,  but,  in  171)4,  dissolved  the  mil- 
itary and  revolutionary  tribunals  in  Bordeaux.  In  the  same  year  he 
was  one  of  those  who  materially  assisted  in  bringing  Kobespierre  to 
tlie  scaffold.  In  180G  Tallien  was  commissioner  of  the  board  of  trade  at 
Alicant.     He  died  at  Paris  in  1820. — Biographie  Modcrne, 

TALLIEIST,  Madame,  was  above  the  middle  height,  but  a  perfect  har- 
mony in  her  whole  person  took  away  all  appearance  of  the  awkwardness 
of  too  lofty  a  stature.  It  was  the  Venus  of  the  Capitol,  but  still  more 
beautiful  than  the  work  of  Phidias;  for  you  perceived  in  her  the  same 
perfection  of  features,  the  same  symmetry  in  arms,  hands,  and  feet ; 
and  the  whole  animated  by  a  benevolent  expression — a  reflection  of  the 
magic  mirror  of  the  soul,  which  indicated  all  that  there  was  in  that  soul, 
and  this  was  kindness.  She  might  have  become  the  French  Aspasia, 
with  whom  her  wdt,  her  beauty,  and  her  political  influence,  may  serve 
to  establish  a  comj^arison,  though  neither  of  her  husbands  was  a  Pericles. 
Madame  Tallien  was  born  in  Spain,  where  her  father,  M.  de  Cabarrus, 
a  French  banker,  settled,  and  had  acquired  a  great  reputation.  At 
twelve  years  of  age,  Theresa  Cabarrus  was  the  loveliest  of  all  the  beau- 
ties of  Cadiz.  Her  father  sent  her  from  home  at  an  early  age,  because 
he  was  still  too  young  to  take  upon  himself  the  superintendence  of  so 
lovely  a  daughter.  She  was  seen  about  this  time  by  her  uncle,  Jalabert, 
who  could  not  escape  the  fascination  which  the  lovely  Theresa,  with  a 
look  and  a  smile,  exercised  upon  every  man  who  beheld  her.  He  wished 
to  marry  her,  but  she  gave  the  preference  to  ]M.  de  Fontenai,  to  whom 
she  was  united  some  time  after.  With  a  cultivated  mind  and  intellectual 
powers  of  a  high  order,  Madame  Tallien  would  have  possessed,  even  with- 
out her  beauty,  more  than  an  ordinary  share  of  attractions.  She  was 
always  remarkably  kind  and  obliging,  but  such  is  the  effect  on  the  mul- 
titude, of  a  name  that  bears  a  stain,  that  her  cause  was  never  separated 
from  that  of  her  second  husband. — Duchess  d'Ahrantes. 

VADIER,  a  lawyer,  was  an  ardent  Jacobin,  but  without  abilities, 
and  ridiculous  on  account  of  his  accent.  In  1792  he  was  appointed 
deputy  to  the  Convention,  where  he  voted  for  the  King's  death.  In  1791 
he  successively  defended  and  abandoned  the  party  of  Hebert  and  Dan- 
ton.  After  the  fall  of  Robespierre,  whom  he  denounced  with  severity, 
Vadier  was  condemned  to  transportation,  but  contrived  to  make  his 
escape.  In  1799  the  consular  government  restored  him  to  his  rights  as 
a  citizen. — Biographie  Moderne. 

VANDAMME,  Dominique  Joseph,  born  at  Cassel,  !N"ovember  5, 
1771,  was  one  of  the  bravest  men  in  the  world,  but  fiery  and  passionate. 


554  BIOGEAPHICAL.    SKETCHES. 

A  nobler  figure  tlian  lie  possessed  cannot  well  be  imagined.  He  had  a 
finely  formed  head,  regular  features,  beautiful  curly  hair,  glistening  eyes 
which,  when  angry,  seemed  to  flash  fire,  and  an  exquisitely  turned  hand. 
— Duchess  d'Ahrantes. 

The  Emperor  related  the  following  anecdote,  as  highly  characteristic 
of  General  Vandamme:  When  made  prisoner  by  the  Russians,  he  was 
lu'ought  before  the  Emperor  Alexander,  who  reproached  him  in  bitter 
terms  with  being  a  robber,  a  plunderer,  and  a  murderer;  adding  that 
no  favor  could  be  granted  to  such  an  execrable  character.  This  was 
followed  by  an  order  that  he  should  be  sent  to  Siberia,  while  the  other 
prisoners  were  sent  to  a  much  less  northern  destination.  Vandamme  re- 
plied with  great  sang-froid,  "  It  may  be,  sire,  that  I  am  a  robber  and  a 
plunderer ;  but  at  least  I  have  not  to  reproach  myself  with  having  soiled 
my  hands  with  the  blood  of  a  father," — A  Voice  from  St.  Helena. 

VERG:ivriAUD,  PiERKE  ViCTOETEi.',  born  at  Limoges,  May  31,  1759 
(guillotined  October  31,  1793),  was  the  most  eloquent  speaker  of  the 
Gironde,  but  he  had  not  the  vigor  requisite  for  the  leader  of  a  party  in 
troubled  times.  Passion,  in  general,  had  little  influence  over  his  mind. 
He  was  humane,  gentle,  and  benevolent ;  difficult  to  rouse  to  exertion, 
and  still  more  to  be  convinced  of  the  wickedness,  either  of  his  adversa- 
ries or  a  large  part  of  his  supporters.  But  when  great  occasions  arose, 
he  poured  forth  his  generous  thoughts  in  streams  of  eloquence  which 
never  have  been  equalled  in  the  Erench  Assembly.  It  was  not  like  that 
of  Mirabeau,  broken  and  emphatic,  but  uniformly  elegant,  sonorous, 
and  flowing,  swelling  at  times  into  the  highest  strains  of  impassioned 
oratory. — A  lison. 

In  Parliamentary  eloquence  no  Erenchman  of  that  time  can  be  con- 
sidered equal  to  Vergniaud.  ISTo  man,  we  are  inclined  to  believe,  ever 
rose  so  rapidly  to  such  a  height  of  oratorical  excellence.  His  whole 
public  life  lasted  barely  two  years.  In  a  foreign  country,  and  after  the 
lapse  of  half  a  century,  some  parts  of  his  speeches  are  still  read  with 
mournful  admiration. — Macaulay. 

Vergniaud  was  an  indolent  man,  and  required  to  be  stimulated;  but 
when  once  fairly  excited,  his  eloquence  was  true,  forcible,  penetrating, 
and  sincere. — Dumont. 

I  do  not  like  Vergniaud,  because  he  disdains  men,  does  not  put  any 
restraint  on  himself  in  his  intercourse  with  them,  and  has  not  employed 
his  talents  with  the  ardor  of  a  soul  devoted  by  the  love  of  the  public 
good,  and  with  the  tenacity  of  a  diligent  mind. — Madame  Boland's 
Memoirs. 

Vergniaud  projected  the  decree  which  pronounced  the  suspension  of 
the  King,  and  the  formation  of  the  ISTational  Convention.  He  filled  the 
chair  on  the  day  of  Louis's  sentence,  and  voted  for  his  death.  He  was 
condemned  to  death  as  a  Girondist,  in  1793,  and  spent  the  night  be- 
fore his  execution  in  discoursing  ^vith  his  friends  upon  revolutions  and 
governments.    His  speeches  were  always  carefully  prepared  beforehand. 


BIOGEAPHICAIi    SKETCHES.  555 

VEYGOUX,  Louis  Charles  Antoine  Desaix  de,  was  born  at  St.  Hi- 
laire,  August  17,  1768,  of  a  noble  family,  and  entered  the  regiment  of 
Bretagne  in  1784  as  sub-lieutenant.  He  contributed  in  1793  to  the 
capture  of  the  Haguenau  lines,  which  the  left  wing,  where  he  was 
stationed,  first  broke  through.  In  the  year  1795  he  served  in  the  army 
of  the  North  under  Pichegru,  and  repeatedly  distinguished  himself.  In 
1798  he  accompanied  Bonaparte  to  Egypt;  and,  on  his  return  to  France, 
hastened  to  join  the  First  Consul  in  Italy,  where  he  contributed  to  the 
victory  of  Marengo,  in  which  battle  he  was  mortally  wounded. — Encyclo- 
paedia Americana. 

Desaix,  said  Bonaparte,  was  wholly  wrapped  up  in  war  and  glory.  To 
him  riches  and  pleasure  were  valueless.  He  was  a  little,  black-looking 
man,  about  an  inch  shorter  than  I  am,  always  badly  dressed,  sometimes 
even  ragged,  and  despising  comfort  and  convenience.  Wrapped  up  in 
his  cloak,  he  would  throw  himself  under  a  gun,  and  sleep  as  contentedly 
as  if  he  were  in  a  palace.  Upright  and  honest  in  all  his  proceedings,  he 
Avas  called  by  the  Arabs  the  Just  Sultan.  Desaix  was  intended  by  nature 
for  a  great  general. — A  Voice  from  St.  Helena. 

Desaix  was  a  man  for  whom  the  First  Consul  had  a  high  esteem,  and 
whose  talents  and  character  aiforded  the  fairest  promise  of  what  might 
one  day  be  expected  from  him.  Napoleon  was  jealous  of  some  generals, 
but  Desaix  gave  him  no  uneasiness ;  equally  remarkable  for  his  unassum- 
ing disposition,  his  talent,  and  his  information,  he  proved  by  his  conduct 
that  he  loved  glory  for  its  own  sake.  Bonaparte's  friendship  for  him 
was  enthusiastic.  The  tomb  of  Desaix,  said  Napoleon,  shall  have  the 
Alps  for  its  pedestal,  and  tlie  monks  of  St.  Bernard  for  its  guardians. — 
Bourrienne. 

VICTOR,  Perein^  was  born  at  IMarche,  in  1766.  In  his  fifteenth 
year  he  entered  the  army  as  a  private  soldier,  and  by  his  good  conduct 
at  Toulon  obtained  the  rank  of  general  of  brigade.  From  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Revolution  to  the  battle  of  Friedland  he  was  almost  constantly 
in  the  field,  and  his  gallantry  in  that  great  action  procured  him  his 
marshal's  baton.  On  the  peace  of  Tilsit,  Victor  was  appointed  governor 
of  Berlin,  but  he  had  been  only  fifteen  months  there  when  he  was  sent  to 
Spain,  where  he  remained  from  1808  to  1812,  while  his  troops  on  more 
than  one  occasion  disgraced  themselves  by  shameful  excesses.  At  the 
battle  of  Talavera,  Victor  was  defeated  by  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  with  the 
loss  of  about  ten  thousand  men.  After  an  unsuccessful  siege  of  Cadiz, 
the  marshal,  whom  the  Emperor  had  now  created  Duke  of  Belluno,  was 
summoned  to  the  Russian  campaign.  At  the  Beresina,  Dresden,  Leipsic, 
and  Hanau,  Victor  fought  nobly,  and  equally  so  on  the  invasion  of 
France  by  the  allies  in  1814.  After  incredible  efforts  at  Nangis  and 
Villeneuve,  and  seeing  his  son-in-law  killed  before  his  face,  he  took  a  few 
hours'  rest  at  Salins.  This  greatly  enraged  Napoleon,  who  had  com- 
manded him  to  pursue  the  allies  to  Montereau  without  intermission,  and 
he  told  him  that  his  command  was  given  to  another,  and  that  he  might 


566  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES, 

go  about  his  business.  The  tears  streamed  down  the  marshal's  cheeks  as 
he  replied,  "  'No,  sire,  I  will  not  leave  the  service.  Victor  was  once  a 
grenadier,  and  has  not  forgotten  how  to  use  the  musket.  I  will  take  my 
place  in  the  ranks  with  the  soldiers  of  the  guard."  The  Emperor,  affected 
by  this  proof  of  fidelity,  stretched  out  his  hand  to  the  marshal,  and  said, 
"  I  cannot  return  you  your  command,  since  another  has  it,  but  you  may 
head  two  brigades  of  my  guard."  The  veteran  did  so,  and  throughout 
the  remainder  of  the  campaign,  fought  with  the  most  determined  bravery. 
On  the  return  of  ISTapoleon  from  Elba,  Victor  followed  Louis  to  Ghent, 
and  on  the  second  restoration  was  made  a  French  peer,  and  minister  of 
war  in  1821.  At  a  subsequent  period,  he  was  sent  as  ambassador  to 
Vienna. — Court  and  Camp  of  Bonaparte. 

WESTEKMA^N'N,  Francois  Joseph,  born  at  Molslieim,  in  Alsace, 
September  5,  1751,  was  an  officer  under  the  monarchy,  but  embraced  the 
revolutionary  party  with  ardor.  On  August  10th,  he  was  the  first  who 
forced  the  Tuileries  at  the  head  of  the  Brest  battalions.  In  1792,  and 
the  following  year,  he  distinguished  himself  by  his  bravery  at  the  head 
of  the  Legion  du  ISTord,  of  which  he  had  obtained  the  command.  He  was 
afterwards  transferred,  with  the  rank  of  general  of  brigade,  to  the  army 
which  Biron  then  commanded  in  La  Vendee.  .  At  Chatillon,  however, 
he  was  completely  defeated ;  his  infantry  was  cut  to  pieces ;  and  he  him- 
self escaped  with  difficulty.  Being  attached  to  the  party  of  the  Corde- 
liers, he  was  denounced  with  them,  and  executed  in  1794,  in  the  fortieth 
year  of  his  age. — BiograpJiie  Moderne. 

Westermann  ran  from  massacre  to  massacre,  sparing  neither  adver- 
saries taken  in  arms,  nor  even  the  peaceful  inhabitants  of  the  country. — 
Prudliomme. 

General  Westermann  entered  Parthenay  with  about  ten  thousand 
men.  From  thence  he  went  to  Amaillou,  and  set  fire  to  the  vil- 
lage. This  was  the  beginning  of  the  republican  burnings.  Westermann 
then  marched  on  Clisson ;  he  knew  that  it  was  the  chateau  of  M.  de 
Lescure,  and,  imagining  that  he  must  there  find  a  numerous  garrison,  and 
experience  an  obstinate  resistance,  he  advanced  with  all  his  men,  and  not 
without  great  precautions,  to  attack  this  chief  of  the  brigands.  He  ar- 
rived at  nine  o'clock  at  night.  Some  concealed  peasants  fired  a  few  shots 
from  the  wood  and  garden,  which  frightened  the  republicans  very  much ; 
but  they  seized  some  women,  and  learned  that  there  was  nobody  at  Clis- 
son. Westermann  then  entered,  and  wrote  from  thence  a  triumphant 
letter  to  the  Convention,  which  was  published  in  the  newspapers,  sending 
the  will  and  the  picture  of  M.  de  Lescure,  and  relating  that,  after  having 
crossed  many  ravines,  ditches,  and  covered  ways,  he  had  at  last  reached 
the  den  of  that  monster  "  vomited  from  hell,"  and  was  going  to  set  fire 
to  it.  In  fact,  he  had  straw  and  fagots  brought  into  the  rooms,  the 
garrets,  the  stables,  and  the  farm,  and  took  all  his  measures  that  nothing 
should  escape  the  fire.  The  furniture  was  consumed,  immense  quantities 
of  corn  and  hay  were  not  spared ;  it  was  the  same  everywhere.     After- 


BIOQEAPHICAL   SKETCHES.  557 

wards,  the  republican  armies  burned  even  provisions,  though  the  rest  of 
France  was  suffering  from  famine. — Memoirs  of  the  Marchioness  de 
Laroch  eja  que  lein. 

Westermann  delighted  in  carnage.  M.  Beauchamp  says  that  he  would 
throw  off  his  coat,  tuck  up  his  sleeves,  and  then,  with  his  sabre,  rush 
into  the  crowd,  and  hew  about  him  to  the  right  and  left!  He  boasted 
that  he  had  himself  destroyed  the  last  of  the  Vendeans — that  chiefs,  offi- 
cers, soldiers,  priests,  and  nobles,  had  all  perished  by  the  sword,  the  fire, 
or  water.  But  when  his  own  fate  was  decided,  then  his  eyes  were  purged ; 
from  the  moment  that  he  apprehended  death,  his  dreams  were  of  the 
horrors  which  he  had  perpetrated ;  he  fancied  himself  beset  by  the  spirits 
of  the  murdered,  and  his  hell  began  on  earth! — Quarterly  Review. 

Vol.  II.— Q 


THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTIONARY 
CALENDAR. 


THIS   CALENDAR    (DECREED   NOVEMBER   24,    1793)   COMMENCES   FROM 
SEPTEMBER  22,   1792,  THE  FOUNDATION  OF  THE  REPUBLIC. 

The  following  Table  will  be  found  serviceable  for  approximate  purposes,  but.  the  dates 
do  not  absolutely  correspond,  as  shown  below,  on  account  of  the  Gregorian  leap 
year  not  coinciding  with  that  of  the  Revolutionary  Calendar. 


Autumn  Months. 

DAYS 

Vendemiaire  (Vintage)  30 

Brum  AIRE  (Foggy)    .     .  30 

Frimaire  (Sleety)     .     .  30 

Winter  Months. 

NivosE  (Snowy)        .     .  30 

Pluviose  (Rainy)      .     .  30 

Ventose  (Windy)     .     .  30 


Spring  Months. 

Germinal  (Budding)     .  30 

Floreal  (Blooming)      .  30 

Prairial  (Pastoral)       .  30 

Summer  Months. 

Messidor  (Harvest)       .  30 

Thermidor  (Heat)    .     .  30 

Fructidor  (Fruit)    .     .  30 


Extending 

FROM  TO 

September  22  October  21 
October  22       November  20 
November  21   December  20 


December  21    January  19 
January  20       February  18 
February  19    March  20 


March  21 
April  20 
May  20 


June  19 
July  19 
August  18 


April  19 
]\Iay  19 
June  18 


July  18 
August  17 
September  16 


THE    YEAR 
OF     THE  A.D. 


I. 

n. 
ni. 

IV. 

V. 

VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 

XI. 

XII. 

XIII. 

XIV. 


1792-1793 
1793-1794 
1794-1795 
1795-1796 
1796-1797 
1797-1798 
1798-1799 
1799-1800 
1800-1801 
1801-1802 
1802-1803 
1803-1804 
1804-1805 
1805- 


In  1806  the  old  Gre- 
gorian Calendar  was  re- 
verted to. 


The  five  days  over  ("sansculottides")  were 
appropriated  as  follows : — 

Sept.  17  The  Festival  of  Le  Genie. 
"     18  "  Le  Travail. 

"     19  "  Les  Belles  Actions. 

"     20  "  Les  Recompenses. 

"     21  "  L'Opinion. 

Every  fourth  year  ("every  Franciade")  a 
sixth  festival  was  added,  that  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, 


Each  month  was  divided 
into  three  decades  of  ten 
days  each,  which  repeated 
themselves  as  follows: — 


Prim^di. 

Duodi. 

Tridi. 

Quartidi. 

Quintidi. 


6  Sextidi. 

7  Septidi. 

8  Octidi. 

9  Nonidi. 
10  Decadi. 

The  day  of 
rest. 


Each  day  was  to  have  been  divided  into  ten  hours,  and  each  hour  again  into  ten  parts;  but 
it  was  found  inconvenient  to  carry  this  out. 


FRENCH  REVOLUTIONARY  DATES. 

In  contemporary  Memoirs  on  the  French  Kevolution,  the  reader  of 
modern  days  is  often  puzzled  by  the  French  habit  of  referring  to  occur- 
rences by  date  only,  especially  when  the  date  is  that  of  the  Republican 
Calendar.  The  following  table  will  give  some  assistance  in  identifying 
the  references : 

20  Brumaire  An  II.— l^ovember  10,  1793.— The  Feast  of  Reason. 
(The  Worship  of  Reason  was  almost  immediately  abolished.) 
4  Germinal  An  II.— March  23,  1794.— The  "  Ilebertistes  "  or  ex- 
treme revolutionary  party ;  Hebert  (editor  of  the  Pere  Duchesne 
paper),  Ronsin  (general  of  the  revolutionary  army),  Vincent,  etc., 
are  executed  by  the  Comite  de  Salut  Public. 

10  Germinal  An  II. — March  31,  1794. — The  Moderes  or  Indulgents; 
Danton,  Camille  Desmoulins  (writer  of  le  Vieux  Cordelier 
paper),  Lacroix,  Philippeaux,  Herault  de  Sechelles,  etc.,  are  ar- 
rested by  the  Comite  de  Salut  Public,  and  are  executed  16  Germi- 
nal— April  5, 1794.  The  Cordelier  party  and  club  are  practically 
broken  up. 

22  Peairial  An  II. — June  10,  1794. — Law  of,  increases  the  rapidity 
of  proceeding  of  the  revolutionary  tribunal. 
9  Thermidor  An  II. — July  27.  1794. — Overthrow  of  the  Terrorists ; 
Robespierre,  Saint  Just,  Couthon,  Henriot,  etc.,  are  arrested  and 
executed  next  day  by  their  colleagues  of  the  Comite  de  Salut  Pub- 
lic (Collot  d'Herbois,  Billaud-Varennes,  and  Barere),  assisted 
by  Tallien,  Barras,  Legendre,  Freron,  Merlin  de  Thionville, 
Thuriot,  Bourdon  de  I'Oise,  Dubois  de  Crance,  Lecointre  de 
Versailles. 

12  Germinal  An  III.— April  1,  1795.— The  Jacobins  invade  the  As- 
sembly, but  are  dispersed  without  bloodshed  by  General  Pichegru. 
Remainder  of  old  Comite  de  Salut  Public,  Barere,  Collot  d'Her- 
bois, Billaud-Varennes,  are  deported ;  other  deputies  of  the  Moun- 
■  tain  sent  to  Ham,  etc. 
1  Prairial  An  III.— May  20,  1795.— The  last  insurrection  of  the 
Jacobins  against  Moderate  party  or  Thermidoriens.  The  Jacobins 
seize  the  hall  of  the  representatives,  kill  the  deputy  Feraud,  and 
present  his  head  to  the  president,  Boissy  d'Anglas,  who,  unmoved, 
salutes  it  j  but  they  are  driven  put. 


562  TEENCn  EEVOLUTIONAKY  DATES. 

4  Peaieial  An  III. — May  23,  1795. — The  Jacobins  are  disarmed  by 

General  Menou.  Almost  all  the  members  of  the  old  Comite  de 
Saint  Public,  and  of  the  Mountain,  except  Carnot,  are  arrested ; 
and  the  Mountain  and  the  Jacobin  party  are  completely  broken 
up.  Power  falls  into  the  hands  of  the  Thermidoriens,  Tallien, 
and  the  Girondists. 

5  Peuctidoe  An  III. — August  22,  1795.-^Convention  decrees  that 

instead  of  entirely  free  elections  for  the  new  Corps  Legislatif, 
two-thirds  of  both  councils  of  the  Ancients  and  of  the  Five  Hun- 
dred must,  the  first  year,  be  members  of  the  then  Convention. 
This  and  the  follomng  decree  are  intended  to  preserve  the  ascend- 
ency of  the  republican  party,  it  being  feared  that  the  Koyalist 
party  may  obtain  a  majority  in  the  elections. 

13  Feuctidoe  An  III. — August  30,  1795. — The  convention  decrees 
that  two-thirds  of  the  members  of  the  old  convention  to  serve  in 
the  new  assembly,  are  to  be  selected  by  the  electoral  assemblies. 
These  decrees  of  Fructidor  drive  the  Royalist  party  to  arms. 

13  Yendemiaiee  An  IV. — October  4,  1795. — "  Jour  des  sections."  The 
Royalists,  anxious  to  get  a  majority  in  the  new  assembly  about  to 
be  elected,  and  stopped  by  the  decrees  of  5  and  13  Fructidor  (see 
above),  revolt;  they  are  put  down  by  the  forces  of  the  Convention 
directed  by  General  Bonaparte,  nominally  under  Barras. 

3  Beumaiee  An  IV. — October  24,  1795. — Law  of,  exclusion  of  all 

emigres  and  of  their  relations  from  all  civil,  municipal,  and 
military  functions,  till  the  general  peace.  Permission  granted  to 
all  who  do  not  wish  to  live  under  the  Republic  to  leave  France, 
taking  with  them  their  property.  Dismissal  of  all  officers  who 
have  not  served  during  the  revolutionary  period — i.e.,  since  Au- 
gust 10,  1792  (sack  of  Tuileries)  ;  many  of  whom  had  been  re- 
stored by  Aubry,  a  reactionary  in  charge  of  the  War  Office.  This 
is  gradually  allowed  to  drop  till  18  Fructidor — September  4, 1797, 
(see  on).  Several  decrees,  actually  passed  on  4  Brumaire,  are 
generally  taken  as  part  of  those  of  3  Brumaire  (see  next  date). 

4  Beumaiee  An  IV. — October  25,  1795. — Decrees  of  punishment  of 

death  to  be  abolished  after  the  general  peace.  The  Place  de  la 
Revolution  renamed  Place  de  la  Concorde.  Amnesty  for  all  acts 
connected  with  the  Revolution,  except  for  the  13  Vendemiaire — • 
October  4,  1795  (see  above)  ;  this  exception  is  repealed  on  14 
Frimaire — December  4,  1796  (see  below). 

5  Beumaiee  An  IV. — October  27,  1795. — Constitution  of  An  III.  put 

in  force. 

20  Floeeal  An  IV. — May  9,  1796. — The  conspiracy  of  Babceuf  (a 
Communistic  and  Jacobin  one)  is  detected,  and  Baboeuf,  Vadier, 
Armar,  etc.,  are  arrested. 

12  Feuctidoe  An  IV. — August  29,  1796. — Attempted  rising  of  Jaco- 
bins and  of  the  Baboeuf  party. 


I-EENOH   EEVOLUTIONAEY  DATES.  S6S( 

22  Feuctidoe  An  IV. — September  8,  1Y96. — Rising  of  the  Jacobins 
and  of  the  Baboeuf  party,  which  is  easily  put  down. 

14  Fkimaire  An  V. — December  4,  1796. — The  amnesty  of  3  Bru- 
maire  (October,  1795),  which  excepted  the  acts  of  Vendemiaire, 
is  now  made  complete. 

18  Feuctidor  An  V. — September  4,  1797. — "  Second  Emigration." — 
A  strong  Royalist  party  having  been  returned  at  the  recent  elec- 
tions of  one-third  of  the  Councils,  the  majority  (Barras,  La 
Reveillere  Lepeaux,  and  Rewbell)  of  the  directors,  supported  by 
the  Jacobins,  place  Augereau  (hence  called  "Fructidor  General") 
at  the  head  of  their  forces,  occupy  the  halls  of  the  Councils,  accuse 
many  of  the  deputies,  Pichegru,  etc.,  of  a  Royalist  conspiracy,  get 
the  Councils  to  vote  the  deportation,  to  Guiana,  of  Barthelemey, 
Pichegru,  Willot,  etc.  (Carnot  escapes  to  Switzerland)  ;  and  to 
cancel  the  elections  made  by  forty-eight  departments.  The  law 
of  3  Brumaire  is  put  in  full  force,  and  even  extended,  the  emigres 
who  have  returned  having  again  to  leave.  The  power  of  the 
directors  over  journals,  priests,  etc.,  is  made  fuller,  and  the  staff 
of  forty-two  journals  are  sentenced  to  be  deported. 

22  Floeeal  An  VI. — May  11,  1798. — The  directors  annul  many  of  the 
elections  of  the  "  Patriotes  "  to  the  Councils. 

80  Peaikial  An  VII.— June  18,  1799.— The  "  Patriotes,"  or  extreme 
party,  discontented  with  the  directorate,  which  has  been  dis- 
credited by  the  defeat  of  the  Trebbia,  etc.,  change  by  agitation 
the  majority  of  the  directors.  Sieyes  and  Barras  remain.  The 
election  of  Le  Tourneur  is  annulled;  La  Reveillere  Lepeaux 
and  Merlin  de  Douai  are  induced  to  resign;  and  Gohier,  Roger- 
Ducos,  and  General  Moulins  replace  them.  A  more  vigorous 
prosecution  of  the  war  is  intended,  and  more  violent  measures 
are  adopted,  such  as  the  law  of  hostages,  by  which,  on  any  dis- 
turbance in  any  district,  the  authorities  may  imprison  relations 
of  emigres  as  hostages  for  order.  This  law  was  repealed  in  '^o- 
vember,  1799. 

18  and  19  Beumaiee  An  VIII. — IN'ovember  8  and  9,  1799. — iN'apoleon 
returned  from  Egypt,  finding  the  country  disgusted  with  the  weak- 
ness and  ill-success  of  the  Directorial  Government  which  has  lost 
Italy,  and,  being  supported  by  the  party  desiring  a  stronger  and 
less  democratic  government,  overthrows  the  directorate  and  the 
Constitution  of  An  III.  Of  the  five  directors,  Sieyes  and  Roger- 
Ducos  support  him;  Barras  resigns;  Gohier  and  Moulins  only 
formally  resist.  Almost  all  the  generals,  except  Augereau,  Ber- 
nadotte,  and  Jourdan,  support  him,  Moreau  even  guarding  Gohier 
and  Moulins.  A  "  Consulat  Provisoire  "  formed  of  ^N'apoleon, 
Sieyes,  and  Roger-Ducos,  which  lasts  till  December  25,  1799, 
when  the  Constitution  of  An  VIII.  is  in  force,  and  the  Consulate 
is  composed  of  ISTapoleon,  Cambaceres,  and  Lebrun. 


664  FEENCH   EEVOLUTIOITAEY  DATES* 

28  Pluviose  &  III. — February  16,  1800. — Law  of,  settling  interior 
organization  of  France.  Prefet  over  each  department,  sous-pref et 
over  each  arrondissement  or  group  of  from  sixty  to  a  hundred 
communes,  each  with  a  council ;  while  the  prefet  has  a  small  legal 
tribunal,  replacing  the  former  smaller  divisions. 

27  Ventose  An  VIII. — March  17,  1800. — Law  of,  reforming  the 
judicial  organization.  Tribunal  of  first  instance  for  each  arron- 
dissement and  twenty-nine  courts  of  appeal.  The  court  of  cassa- 
tion, above  all,  to  determine  the  sense  of  the  law,  not  to  re-try  the 
cases. 

18  Vendemiaiee  An  IX. — October  10,  1800. — Plot  of  Jacobins — 
Joseph  Arena,  Cerrachi,  Demerville,  and  Topino  Lebrun — to 
assassinate  Napoleon  in  his  opera-box.  Betrayed  by  Harrel. 
3  NrvosE  An  IX. — December  24,  1800. — Infernal  machine,  or  plot  of 
Rue  St.  Nicaise;  plot  of  Royalists — St.  Rejant,  Carbon,  and  Li- 
moelan — to  assassinate  Napoleon  on  his  way  to  the  opera  in  his 
carriage.  Machine  explodes  too  late. 
6  Floreal  An  X. — April  26,  1802. — Amnesty  of  emigrants  by  Napo- 
leon. 


THE  REVOLUTIONARY  CLUBS  AND 
JOURNALS. 

These  clubs  were  at  first  private  meetings,  where  people^  of  similar 
political  views  met  together  to  talk  over  the  events  of  the  nation. 

The  first  and  most  celebrated  was  that  of  the  Breton  deputies,  held  at 
the  ancient  convent  of  the  Jacobins,  and  hence  called  the  Jacobin  Club. 
It  acquired,  in  a  short  time,  an  amazing  infiuence,  and  established  aSili- 
.  ated  clubs  in  every  province  of  France.  Its  moral  power  was  so  great  in 
the  palmy  days  of  the  Revolution,  that  the  people,  the  magistracy,  and 
even  the  N'ational  Assembly,  were  swayed  by  it. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  it  is  nevertheless  true,  that  the  Jacobins  were 
Eoyalists  at  first.  They  wished  to  depose  Louis  XVI.,  but  they  would 
have  placed  the  Duke  of  Orleans  on  the  throne,  with  abridged  powers  and 
prerogatives.  As  the  Revolution  advanced,  their  political  views  became 
more  and  more  democratic,  till,  at  last,  the  word  Jacobin  became  synony- 
mous with  red-republican. 

To  the  Jacobins  belonged  Chenier,  the  author  of  ""  Charles  IX.''  the 
poets  Cubieres  and  Chamfort,Laharpe — as  violent  as  Diderot  in  his  ha- 
tred of  the  Supreme  Being — Sedaine,  and  the  good  Andrieux.  David  the 
painter  was  one  of  the  same  clique,  Vernet,  Larive,  and  Talma  the  great 
actor.  Lai's,  the  famous  vocalist,  and  Louis-Philippe,  the  future  King, 
were  the  door-keepers  of  the  Paris  club. 

Such  were  the  leading  members ;  but,  from  first  to  last,  Robespierre  was 
its  living  unity ;  and  this  man,  simply  by  the  force  of  circumstances,  with- 
out genius,  oratorical  power,  or  even  a  daring  spirit,  rose  to  be  master, 
not  only  of  the  Jacobins,  but  of  Paris  and  all  France.  The  Jacobin  clubs 
were  finally  closed  on  November  11,  1794. 

A  branch  of  the  Jacobins,  first  called  the  Club  of  '89,  and  then  the 
Journalists'  Club,  held  its  meetings  in  a  part  of  the  Palais  Royal. 
Lafayette,  Bailly  the  mayor,  the  Abbe  Sieyes,  and  Mirabeau  were  mem- 
bers of  this  club.  Though  called  "  the  Club  of  '89,"  it  was  not  founded 
till  1790. 

Another  branch  society  was  the  Feuillant's  Club,  held  in  the  convent  of 
the  Feuillantes  near  the  Tuileries,  and  composed  of  the  most  moderate  of 
the  republicans. 

When  Barnave  was  sent  to  Varennes  to  convey  the  King  and  royal 
family  to  Paris  after  their  flight,  he  was  so  touched  by  their  misfortunes 
that  he  resolved  to  befriend  them ;  and  when  he  found  the  Assembly  bent 


666 


EEVOLUTIONAEY  CLUBS  AND  JOUENALS. 


on  death,  induced  Dupont,  Lameth,  and  others,  to  separate  from  the 
Jacobins,  by  way  of  protest  against  their  regicidal  intentions. 

The  Cordeliers,  so  called  from  the  convent  of  the  Cordeliers  where 
their  meetings  were  held,  was  another  very  important  club,  but  its  influ- 
ence was  limited  to  Paris. 

Its  leading  members  were  Danton ;  Camille  Desmoulins,  who  gave  the 
signal  for  the  attack  on  the  Bastille ;  Hebert,  a  check-taker  at  one  of  the 
theatres,  and  editor  of  the  infamous  journal  called  "  Fere  Duchesne,"  and 
Marat. 

The  Cordeliers  were  generally  opposed  to  the  Jacobins.  It  was  this 
club  that  plotted  the  insurrection,  Avhich  marked  the  close  of  the  Reign 
of  Terror.  It  was  this  club  also  which  first  demanded  the  abolition  of 
royalty,  and  the  institution  of  a  free  republic. 

The  Cordeliers  affected  extreme  poverty  and  meanness.  Their  room  of 
meeting  was  miserably  lighted  with  a  few  wretched  candles ;  and  all  the 
members  dressed  in  the  most  squalid  attire.  This  club  was  nicknamed 
the  Pandemonium,  and  Danton  the  arch  fiend. 

At  first,  the  Cordeliers  went  further  than  the  Jacobins  in  their  republi- 
can principles ;  but,  after  a  time,  they  were  left  so  far  behind,  that  they 
were  looked  upon  as  lukewarm,  and  even  traitors  to  the  popular  cause. 
The  Cordeliers  lost  all  their  influence  when  Danton  was  led  to  execution ; 
and  the  club  was  finally  closed  by  the  Convention. 

Journals.  Akin  to  the  clubs  were  the  journals  of  the  day,  the  enor- 
mous increase  of  which  was  one  of  the  most  striking  features  of  the 
Revolution.  Some  of  them  were  published  daily,  and  others  weekly  or 
more  often.  Some  of  the  more  violent  of  the  weekly  journals  appeared 
in  red  wrappers. 

In  ITYY,  there  was  but  one  daily  paper  in  all  France;  some  twenty- 
three  years  later,  there  were  as  many  as  900.  The  following  list  gives 
the  names  of  the  most  prominent : 


The  Acts  des  Apotres. 
Ami  du  Peuple. 
Annales  Patriotiques,  by  Mer- 

cier  and  Carra. 
Annales   Politiques   et  Litter- 

aires,  by  Linguet. 
Babillard. 
Bonnet  Rouge. 
Chronique  de  Paris,  by  Con- 

dorcet,   the  best  written  of 

all. 
Communes  de  Paris. 
Courrier  !N'ational. 
„  „    Provence. 

„         de  Paris  a  Versailles. 


The  Journal  de  la  Republique. 

,,  des  Revolutions  de 
Paris,  the  most  extensively 
read  of  all. 

Journal  Universe. 

„       des  Versailles. 

London  Journal  of  the  Ly- 
ceum, published  in  London, 
by  Brissot. 

Mercure  Politique. 

Moniteur,  first  published  ISTo- 
vember  24,  1789. 

Observateur. 

Patriot. 

Patriot  Frangais,  by  Brissot. 


EEVOIiTJTIONAKY    CLUBS    AND    JOUKNALS. 


56Y 


Courrier  de  Versailles  a  Paris. 

Esprit  des  Gazettes. 
„       des  Journaiix. 
etc.,  etc.,  etc. 

Gazette  de  Paris. 

General  Journal  d'Europe. 

Heraut  de  la  Xation. 

Journal  de  la  Cour  et  da  la 
Villc. 

Journal    des    Debats    and  des 
Decrets. 

Journal  Ecclesiastique. 

„  des  Etats  Generaux, 
by  Mirabeau,  which  existed 
only  one  week,  when  it  was 
suppressed  by  the  King  for 
a  most  intemperate  attack 
upon  ITecker.  It  afterwards 
appeared  as  Le  Courrier  de 
Provence. 

Journal  General  de  France. 


Pere  Duchesne,  by  Hebert, 
containing  the  most  exag- 
gerated republican  senti- 
ments, and  circulating  the 
most  horrible  innuendoes 
against  the  Queen. 

Point  de  Jour. 

Publiciste  Parisien,  by  the 
bloodthirsty  Marat.  This 
was  one  of  the  most  formi- 
dable of  all  the  journals. 
Its  name  was  twice  changed, 
first  into  L'Ami  du  Peuple, 
and  then  into  Le  Journal  de 
la  Republique. 

Eevolutions  de  Paris,  by  Prud- 
homme  and  Tournon. 

Sappeur  dans  le  Bataillon  de 
Carmes. 

Sentinelle  du  Peuple. 

Spectateur. 

Vieux  Cordelier. 

etc.,  etc.,  etc. 


GOVERNMENTS,    CONSTITUTIONS    AND 
PARLIAMENTS    OF    FRANCE. 


GOVERNMENTS    OF    FEANCE. 

The  following  forms  of  government  have  been  tried  in  France: 
(1.)   The  Ancient  Monarchy,  with  the  King  absolute. 
(2.)  A  Limited  Monarchy,  under  Louis  XVI.  and  the  first  National 

Assembly  (May  5,  1789). 
(3.)   A  Republic  governed  by  the  Convention  (September  21,  1792). 
(4.)   An  Oligarchy  of  five  Directors  (October  5,  1795). 
(5.)  A  Consulate  with  the  ofiice  limited  to  a  term  of  years  (De- 
cember 24,  1799). 
(6.)    The  same,  with  the  ofiice  held  for  life  (August  2,  1802). 
(7.)   A  Military  Empire  (May  18,  1804). 
(8.)   A  Constitutional  Monarchy,  represented  by  King,  lords, 

and  commons  (April  24,  1814). 
(9.)   The  Empire  restored  for  a  hundred  days  (March  27,  1815). 
(10.)   The  Constitutional  Monarchy  restored  for  fifteen  years 

(July  8,  1815). 
(11.)  A  Royal  Republic,  with  an  elective  King,  called  the  King  of 
the  French  people  and  not  the  King  of  France.    This  is  called 
the  Government  of  July  (August  9,  1830,  to  February  24, 
1848). 
(12.)  A  Democracy  governed  by  a  National  Assembly  (February  26, 

1848). 
(13.)  A  Democratic  Presidency, with  the  office  of  President  limited 

to  four  years  (December  11,  1848). 
(14.)  A  Monarchical  Presidency,  under  a  President  holding  office 
for  ten  years,  a  Senate,  a  Corps  Legislatif,  and  a  Council  of 
State  (December  2,  1851). 
(15.)  An  Elective  Empire,  with  the  Emperor  absolute,  and  the 

crown  hereditary  in  the  male  line  (December  2,  1852). 
(10.)   The  Government  of  the  National  Defence  (September  2, 

1870). 
(17.)  A  Presidential  Republic  with  a  National  Assembly  (Febru- 
ary 13,  1871). 
(18.)  The  Republican  Constitution  (March,  1875). 


COITSTITUTIOKS   OF   FE'Al^CE. 


(1.)   The  Ancient  regime. 

(2.)  The  Constitution  Francaise  decreed  by  the  ^National  or  Con- 
stituent Assembly,  and  accepted  by  Louis  XVI.  This  con- 
stitution was  monarchical  and  representative  (September  30, 
1791). 

(3.)  The  Acte  Constitutionnel  presented  to  the  nation  by  the  Conven- 
tion, and  based  on  the  sovereignty  of  the  people  and  indi- 
visibility of  the  Eepublic  (June  24,  1793). 

(4.)  The  Constitution  of  Year  III.,  which  created  an  executive  Di- 
rector and  two  councils  (June  24,  l795). 

(5.)  The  Constitution  of  Year  VIIL,  naming  three  Consuls,  a  Con- 
servative Senate,  a  Legislative  Assembly,  and  a  Tribunate 
(December  24,  1799). 

(6.)  The  Senatus-consulte  organique  de  la  Constitution  (Year  X.), 
modifying  the  preceding,  and  appointing  l^apoleon  Consul 
for  life  (August  2,  1802). 

(7.)  The  Senatus-consulte  organique  de  I'empire  Frangaise  (Year 
XII.),  conferring  on  ISTapoleon  I.  the  title  of  Emperor  (May 
18,  1804). 

(8.)  The  Charter  Constitutionnelle  granted  by  Louis  XVIIL,  and 
abolished  in  1830  (June  4,  1814). 

(9.)   The  Ordinance  of  September  5th,  reducing  the  number  of  depu- 
ties from  459  to  260,  and  declaring  that  no  article  of  the 
charter  should  be  revised   (September  5,  1815). 
(10.)   The  Constitution  de  la  Republique  (February  26,  1848). 
(11.)   The  Constitution  put  forth  by  the  President    (January  14, 

1852). 
(12.)   The   same   modified   by   a    Senatus-consultum    (E^ovember    7, 

1852). 
(13.)   The  Plebiscit  of  January  21,  22,  1852. 
(14.)   The  Second  Empire  (December  2,  1852). 
(15.)  The  Constitution  de  la  Republique,  1871  and  1875. 


fee:n^cii  parliaments. 


The  Legislative  bodies  of  France,  their  nTimbers,  powers,  and  qualifi- 
cations, have  been  frequently  changed. 

(1.)  Before  the  Revolution  were  the  Provincial  States,  the  IN'otables, 
and  the  States-General. 

The  Assembly  of  I^otables  was  purely  consultative,  and  consisted  of 
the  royal  princes,  nobles,  chief  magistrates,  and  upper  clergy.  It  was 
convoked  by  the  King;  and  the  two  most  celebrated  were  those  held  at 
Versailles,  between  ISTovember  6  and  December  17,  1780,  and  between 
February  22  and  May  25,  1787. 

The  States-General  was  a  deliberative  assembly,  consisting  of  depu- 
ties from  the  nobility,  clergy,  and  commonalty.  The  first  was  convoked 
by  Philippe  IV.,  in  1302,  and  the  last  by  Louis  XVI.,  in  1789,  the  num- 
ber of  deputies  being  1145. 

(2.)  The  National  Assembly.  The  clergy  and  nobles  having  re- 
fused to  sit  in  the  same  chamber  with  the  commonalty,  the  deputies  of 
the  tiers-etat  withdrew,  constituted  themselves  into  a  deliberative  body, 
and  assmned  the  name  of  the  National  Assembly  (June  17,  1789). 

The  Constituent  Assembly  was  another  name  given  to  the  first  Na- 
tional Assembly,  because  it  took  an  oath  never  to  separate  till  it  had 
given  France  a  constitution. 

(3.)  The  Legislative  iVssembly  succeeded  the  Constituent  Assem- 
bly, and  contained  745  representatives,  who  were  delegated  to  conform 
the  laws  to  the  new  constitution  (October  1,  1791). 

(4.)  The  National  Convention  was  the  governing  body  at  the  sup- 
pression of  royalty.  It  consisted  of  721  members  (September  21,  1792). 
The  number  was  reduced  to  500  in  Year  III.,  and  to  300  in  Year  VIII. 

(5.)  The  Two  Councils,  one  called  the  Conseil  des  Anciens  and  the 
other  the  Conseil  des  Cinq-cents.  The  former,  consisting  of  250  mem- 
bers, ratified  or  rejected  the  resolutions  of  the  latter,  which  consisted  of 
500  members  (September  23,  1795). 

(6.)  The  Corps  Legislatif  and  Tribunal  were  substituted  by  Na- 
poleon for  the  Two  Councils  of  the  Directory.  The  former  was  com- 
posed of  300  deputies,  and  the  latter  of  50.  The  Tribunal  was  a  legisla- 
tive Grand  Jury,  whose  duty  was  to  decide  what  laAvs  and  bills  were  to 
be  laid  before  the  Deliberative  body  (December  24,  1799). 

(7.)   The  Corps  Legislatif  and  Conseil  d'Etat,  (1807). 


672  FEENCH    PAELIAMENTS. 

(8.)  The  Chamber  of  Deputies  and  Chamber  of  Peeks,  like  the 
English  Commons  and  Lords.  The  former  consisted  at  first  of  430  mem- 
bers ;  it  was  increased  in  "  the  monarchy  of  July  "  to  459  deputies,  but 
on  September  5th,  the  number  was  reduced  to  260  (June  4,  1814). 

(9.)  Another  National  Assembly  of  900  members;  every  French- 
man in  France  who  had  attained  the  age  of  twenty-one  was  an  elector, 
and  every  one  who  was  twenty-five  years  old  was  eligible  for  a  deputy. 
This  was  the  most  democratic  form  of  government  ever  devised.  There 
was  but  one  single  electoral  assembly  and  that  by  universal  suffrage 
(May  4,  1848). 

(10.)  Another  Coeps  Legislatif  of  750  deputies  (1849). 

(11.)  The  legislature  of  the  Second  Empire  consisted  of  an  Empeeok, 
a  Senate^  and  a  Legislative  Chamber.  The  Senate  consisted  of  150 
members  chosen  by  the  Emperor;  each  member  had  a  stipend  of  $6000 
a  year.  The  deputies  of  the  Corps  Legislatif  were  elected  for  six  years 
by  universal  suffrage,  and  received  a  salary  of  $500  a  month  during  the 
time  of  session.  In  case  of  a  dissolution  of  the  assembly,  it  was  necessary 
to  convoke  a  new  one  within  six  months.  The  number  of  members  fluctu- 
ated with  the  population,  each  department  had  one  representative  for 
every  35,000  inhabitants.  In  1869-70  the  deputies  numbered  283,  and 
the  number  of  electors  10,104,023.  There  was  besides  a  Council  of 
State  composed  of  the  Emperor,  all  members  of  the  Imperial  family,  a 
president,  vice-president,  and  about  150  councillors.  This  was  not  a 
legislative  body,  but  partly  justiciary  and  partly  executive,  acting  as  a 
high  court  of  appeal.  In  1870  the  Emperor  resigned  the  right  of  pro- 
posing the  laws  and  made  himself  a  constitutional  emperor  (January  14, 
1852). 

(12.)  Another  !N'ational  Assembly  with  M.  Thiers  President.  It 
consisted  nominally  of  700  members,  but  as  one  member  might  represent 
more  than  one  constituency,  the  number  did  not  exceed  670.  After  the 
battle  of  Sedan  (September  2,  1870)  certain  persons  arrogated  to  them- 
selves the  offices  of  government  under  the  title  of  The  Goveenment  of 
the  I^ational  Defence,  but  they  resigned  their  office  to  the  National 
Assembly,  February  13,  1871. 

The  Government  of  Defence  was  succeeded  by  a  Republic,  with  M. 
Thiers  as  President  and  minister  of  war.  In  March,  1875,  the  Republi- 
can Constitution  was  created,  consisting  of  a  President,  a  Senate,  and  a 
Chamber  of  Deputies.  The  Senate  and  Chamber  of  Deputies,  both 
elective,  meet  in  National  Assembly  for  two  purposes,  either  to  elect  a 
new  President  septennially,  or  to  introduce  any  new  changes  in  the  Con- 
stitution, agreed  on  by  both  Chambers.  The  President  is  elected  for  seven 
years.  He  appoints  and  dismisses  ministers.  The  President  may  dis- 
solve the  Chamber  with  the  Senate's  consent.  The  Senate  is  elected  for 
nine  years;  one-third  of  its  members  retire  every  three  years,  but  are 
eligible  for  re-election  by  the  vote  of  an  electorate  in  the  chief  town  of 
each  department.     The  Deputies  to  the  Chamber  are  elected  for  four 


FRENCH    PARLIAMENTS.  573 

years  hy  universal  suffrage.  Parliament  sits  from  the  second  Tuesday  in 
January,  for  at  least  five  months  in  every  year ;  it  may  be  summoned  to 
an  extraordinary  session  by  the  chief  of  the  state.  The  Parliament  and 
President  together  initiate  all  laws.  No  treaties  of  commerce  or  declara- 
tions of  war  can  be  carried  Avithout  consent  of  Parliament. 
Vol.  II.— r 


THE    RULERS    OF    FRANCE. 


FIRST  RACE  OF  KINGS.     The  Merovingians. 


Name. 


Pharamond  ? 
Clodion? 
MEROVEE 
Childeric  I.  . . 

Clovis  I 

Childebert  I. 
Clodomir  .  .  . 
Thierry    .... 
Theodehert  I. 
Th^odebald  . 

7  Clotaire 

8  Caribert  .... 
Gontran  .... 


Sijiebert  . . 
Childebert 


*      Theodebcrt  II. 
Thierry  II.    .. 

9  Chilpdric  I.    . . 

10  Clotaire  II.    . . 

11  Dagobert  I.  . . 


Aribert    . . . 
Les  Rnis  Faineants 
12  Clovis  II.  .  . 


Sigebert  II.  . . 

13  Clotaire  III.    . 

14  Childeric  II.    . 
Dagobcrt  II.  . 

15  Thierry  III.     . 

16  Clovis  III.   ... 

17  Childebert  III. 

18  Dagobert  III. 

19  Chilperic  II.    . 

20  Clotaire  IV.  .  . 
Chilperic  rest'd 

21  Thierry  IV.  . 
Interregnum  . 

22  Childeric  III. 


Relationship. 


Founder  

Son  of  Merov^e  .  . 
Son  of  Childeric  I 
Son  of  Clovis  I.  .  . 

ditto 

ditto 

Son  of  Thierry  .  . 
Son  of  Theodebert 
Son  of  Clovis  .... 
Son  of  Clotaire    .  . 

ditto 

ditto 

Son  of  Sigebert  .  . 

Son  of  Childebert 
ditto 


Son  of  Clotaire  I. 

Son  of  Chilperic  I. 
Son  of  Clotaire  II. 


ditto 


Son  of  Danobert 


ditto 

Son  of  Clovis  II . 


ditto 

Son  of  Sigebert  II.   .  . 

Son  of  Clovis  II 

Son  of  Thierry  III.  . . 

ditto 

Son  of  Childebert  III. 
Son  of  Childeric  II.    . 

ditto 


Son  of  Dagobert  III. 
Son  of  Chilperic  II. 


Kingdom. 


Tournay 
Tournay 
Tournay 
Paris  .  . . 


Orleans    

Metz 

Metz 

Metz 

Soissons 

Paris    

Orleans    and 

Burgundy  . .  . 

Austrasia 

.\ustrasia 

Burgundy  also.. 

Austrasia 

Orleans    and 

Burgundy .  .  . 
Austrasia  also . . 

Soissons 

Paris  also 

Soissons 

Austra.sia 

Soissons  also. .  . 
Aquitaine    .  .  .  . 

Neustria  and 
Burgundy .  .  . 

Austrasia 

Neustria  and 
Burgundy .  .  . 

Austrasia 

Austrasia 

Neustria    


Date. 


448-458 
458-481 
481-508 
511-558 
511-524 
511-534 
534-548 
548-555 
511-558 
561-567 

561-593 
561-575 
575-593 
593-596 
596-612 

596-612 
612-613 
561-567 
567-584 
584-613 
622-628 
628-63S 
628-631 


638-656 
638-656 

656-670 
656-670 
()73-679 
673-679 


Sole 

Age 

at 

Death. 

King. 

50 

44 

508-511 

45 

60 

28 

39 

558-561 

04 

48 

70 

51 

26 

26 

27 

26 

26 

47 

613-628 

45 

628-638 

36 

628-638 

36 

23 

IS 

670-673 

20 

679-691 

39 

691-695 

15 

69.5-711 

28 

711-715 

15 

715-717 

717-719 

20 

719-720 

12 

720-737 

25 

737-742 

742-752 

delhroned. 

576 


THE    KULEKS    OF    FRANCE. 
SECOND  RACE  OF  KINGS.     The  Carlovingians. 


Name. 


Pepin  of  Heristal,  duke 

of  Austrasia 678-714 

Theodoald 714,  715 

Charles  Martel 715-741 

Carloman  {abdicates)  .     741-746 

23  Pepin    the    Short    (fe 

Bref) 746-752 

Carloman  and  Charlemagne 

24  Charlemagne  alone 

25  Louis  I. the  Bland  (le  Dibonnaire) 

26  Charles  II.  (le  Chauve)   

27  Louis  II.  {le  Bcgue) 

28  Louis  III.  and  Carloman  II 

29  Carloman  II.  alone 

Charles  le  Gros  (Regent) 

30  Eudes  or  Odo  {1st  Capetian  King) 

31  Charles  III.  {le  Simple) 

32  Robert  (2d  Capetian  King) .  .  . 

33  Raoul  (Father  of  the  Capetians 

34  Louis  IV.  (d'Outre-Mer) 

35  Lothaire 

36  Louis  V.  {le  Faineant) 


Relationship. 


Grandson  of  Pepin. .  . 
Natural  son  of  Pepin 
Son  of  Chas.  Martel .  . 

ditto 


Son  of  Pepin  le  Bref. 
Son  of  Charlemagne 

Son  of  Louis  I 

Son  of  Charles  II.  .  . 
Son  of  Louis  II 


Grandson  of  Louis  I. 

Usurper 

Son  of  Louis  II 


Son  of  Charles  II. 

Son  of  Louis  IV.  . 

I  Son  of  Lothaire    . 


Began  to 

Length 

of 
Reign. 

Reign. 

752 

16 

768 

3 

771 

43 

814 

26 

840 

37 

877 

9 

879 

3 

882 

2 

884 

4 

888 

10 

898 

2.5 

922-923 

923 

13 

936 

18 

954 

32 

986 

1 

THIRD  RACE  OF  KINGS.     The  Capetians. 


1  HUGUES  CAPET 

2  Robert  {le  Pieux) 

3  Henri  I 

4  PhiHppe  I.  {VAmoureux) 

5  Louis  VI.  {le  Gros) 

6  Louis  VII.  {le  Jeune).  .  . 

7  Phihppe  II.  {Avguste).  . 

8  Louis  VIII.  {le  Lion).  .  . 

9  Louis  IX.  {St.  Louis)  . . . 


Founder 

Son  of  Hugues , 

Son  of  Robert , 

Son  of  Henri  I 

Son  of  PhiHppe  I.  .  . 
Son  of  Louis  VI.  ... 
Son  of  Louis  VII.  .  . 
Son  of  Phihppe  II.  . 
Son  of  Louis  VIII.  . 


987 

9 

996 

35 

1031 

29 

1060 

48 

1108 

29 

1137 

43 

1180 

43 

1223 

3 

1226 

44 

I.  From  the  Oldest  Surviving  Son  of  St.  Louis. 

10  PhiHppe  III.  {le  Hardi) 1  Eldest  Son ]    1270      |      15 

Elder  Branch  of  Philippe  III. 


11  Philippe  IV.  {le  Bel) 

12  Louis  X.  {le  Hutin)  . 

13  Philippe  V.  {le  Long). 

14  Charles  IV.  {le  Bel)  . 


Eld.  Son  of  Louis  IX.  I  1285 

Son  of  PhiHppe  IV.  .  .  1314 

ditto 1316 

ditto 1322 


Elder  Branch  of  Philippe  III.,  Charles  de  Valois. 


15  Philippe  VI.  {de  Valois) 

16  Jean  {le  Bon)   

17  Charles  V.  {le  Sage) 


Valois. 

Cousin  of  Charles  IV. 
Son  of  Philippe  VI.  . . 
Son  of  Jean 


(1)  Elder  Branch  op  Charles  V.  (Valois-Hne) 


29 
2 
6 
6 


18  Charles  VI.  {le  Bien  aimi) . . 

19  Charles  VII.  {le  Victorieux) 

20  Louis  XI 

21  Charles  VIII.  {V  Affable)... . 


Eldest  son  of  Chas.  V 
Son  of  Charles  VI.  . .  . 
Son  of  Charles  VII. .  . 
Son  of  Louis  XI 


1328 

22 

1350 

14 

1364 

16 

1380 

42 

1422 

39 

1461 

22 

1483 

15 

THE    EULEES    OF    FRANCE. 


6V7 


(2)  Cadet  Branch  of  Charles  V.  (Elder  Stock). 

{That  is,  by  Limis  due  d'Orleans,  second  son  of  Charles  V.) 

Valois-Orleans. 
22  Louis  XII.  {le  Plre  du  Peuple).  .   \  Gt.  gds.  of  Chas.  V.  . .  |     1498       \ 

(3)  Cadet  Branch  of  Charles  V.  (Cadet  Stock). 

{TluU  is,  from  Jean  Comte  WAngnuleine.) 


17 


Name. 


Valois-Angouleme. 
Relationship. 


23  Francois  I 

24  Henri  II.  {le  Belliqueux). 

25  Franrois  II 

26  Charles  IX 

27  Henri  III.  (le  Mignon)   . 


j  Second    cousin   of  } 

/      Louis  XII ) 

Son  of  Fran(,-ois  I..  . 
Son  of  Henri  II 

ditto 

ditto 


Began  to 

Length 

of 
Reign . 

Reign. 

1515 

32 

1549 

12 

1.559 

1 

1560 

14 

1574 

15 

II.  From  Robert  de  Bourbon,  Fourth  Son  of  St.  Louis.* 

Bourbons. 

28  Henri  IV.  (le  Grand) I  Founder I    1589 

29  Louis  XIII.  (le  Juste) |  Son  of  H  enri  IV | 

Elder  Branch  of  Louis   XIII. 


30  Louis  XIV.  (le  Grand  Monarquc) 

31  Louis  XV.  (le  Bien  airne) 

32  Louis  XVI.  (le  Martyr) 

33  Louis  XVII.  (never  reigned)  .... 


Son  of  Louis  XIII.  . 
G.gds.  of  Loui.s  XIV. 
G'dson  of  Louis  XV. 
Son  of  Louis  XVI. .  . 


Republic. 

Republic  proclaimed,  September  21st 

Convention 

Directoire 

Consulate , 


Empire. 

34  NAPOLEON  I |    1804 

Bourbons. 

35  Louis  XVIII.  (le  Desire)  brother  of  Louis  XVI |     1814 


Empire. 

Empire  Restored,  from  March  20th  to  June  24tli 
Napoleon  II.  (never  reigned) 


18L5 


I       10 


10 


100 


Bourbons. 

36  Charles  X.,  brother  of  Lou^s  XVIII.  and  Louis  XVI |    1824       |        6 

Bourbon  Revolution  of  1830. 

Cadet  Branch  of  Louis  XIII. 

{Thai  I'.s', /com  Philippe  dttc  d'Orleans,  younger  brother  nf  Louis  XIV.) 

37  Louis-Philippe,  King  of  the  Barricades  (le  Roi  Citoyen) .  .  \    1830      |      18 

Empire  Restored 

38  NAPOLEON  III.,  Nephew  of  Napoleon  I.,  born  1808,       I  1 

died  1873..      18.52  18 


Age 

at 

Death. 


53 

40 
16 
24 
38 


1589 

21 

57 

1610 

33 

42 

1643 

72 

77 

1715 

59 

64 

1774 

19 

39 
10 

1792 

12 

1792 

2 

1794 
1799 

5 
5 

52 


69 


days 


73 


77 


64 


*  Antoine  do  Boiirhnn.  a  linoal  desrendant  of  Robert,  married  Marguerite,  a  Bister  ol  Franpois  I. 


578 


THE    EULEKS    OF    FRANCE 


Republic  Restored. 
Name. 


Adolphe  Thiers,  president,  born  1797 

Marshal  MacMahon,  president,  born  1808 

Jules  Grevy,  president,  born  1813 

M.  Carnot,  president,  born  1837  (assassinated) 

Casimir-Perier  

Felix  Faure 

Emile  Loubet 


Began  to 
Reign. 

Length 

of 
Reign . 

Age 

at 

Death 

1871 

2 

80 

1873 

5 

85 

1879 

8 

78 

1887 

7 

50 

1894 

1 

1895 

4 

1899 

INDEX. 


Abbate,  butchery  at  the,  302. 

Abrantes  (Duchess  of),  statement  of,  400. 

Allies,  condition  and  force  of  the,  295  ;  van- 
quished at  Valmy,  30G. 

American  War,  its  influence  upon  France,  CI. 

Amnesty,  a  general,  obtained  by  Necker,  139  ; 
opposed  by  Mirabeau,  139. 

Anecdote  of  Verginaud  in  the  prison,  354. 

Anne  (of  Austria),  her  regency,  27. 

Anniversary  of  destruction  of  Bastille,  prepara- 
tion for  the,  181. 

Aristocracy,  destroyed  by  universal  education, 
46;  of  wealth  warred  against,  331. 

Arms  taken  by  the  ])eople,  119. 

Army,  desertion  of  tiie  officers  of  the,  241;  (of 
the  interior),  formation  of  the,  412. 

Arrangement  between  king  and  exiled  Parlia- 
ment, 69. 

Arrest  of  the  royal  family  in  their  flight,  202. 

Assembly  (of  Notables)  meet  and  overthrow  Ca- 
lonne,  67 ;  dissolution  of  the,  68 ;  National, 
the  name  chosen,  91 ;  hall  of  the,  closed,  93 ; 
shut  out  of  tennis-court,  96 ;  ordered  by  the 
king  to  dissolve,  98;  good  advice  of,  to  the 
people,  105 ;  petition  to  the,  for  a  removal  of 
the  foreign  troops,  112;  declares  itself  perma- 
nent, 113;  reconciliation  of,  to  the  king,  125; 
recognized  government  of  France,  127;  three 
parties  in  the,  144;  Marat's  opinion  of  the, 
146;  members  of  the,  threatened,  149;  change 
of  name,  167;  (Constituent),  vote  themselves 
the  Church  treasures,  1 70 ;  resolve  of,  con- 
cerning the  king's  escape,  210;  preparations 
for  defense  by  the,  211;  address  of,  to  the 
French  nation,  215;  threatened  by  Marquis 
Bouille',  222 ;  decree  of,  declaring  journey  of 
the  king  faultless,  224 ;  influence  of  the,  de- 
clining, 226 ;  denounced  as  traitors,  226 ;  re- 
ceives the  mandate  of  the  Jacobins,  228 ;  Con- 
stitution completed  by  the,  230 ;  decree  of, 
dissolving  itself,  234  ;  dissolution  of  the,  235 ; 
(Legislative),  sends  forces  to  the  frontier,  247 ; 
sends  the  king's  troops  to  the  frontier,  276 ; 
unpopularity  of,  280;  the  king  seeks  refuge 
with  the,  285;  the,  stormed  by  the  mob,  2S6; 
decrees  the  suspension  of  tiie  king,  289;  over- 
awed by  the  Jacobins,  295;  decree  of,  that 
two  thirds  of  their  own  number  should  be 
elected  to  the  new  legislative  bodies,  403. 
Sec  also  Convkntion. 

Assignats,  how  secured,.  170. 


Augereau,  bloodless  nctory  of,  423. 

Austria,  reply  of,  to  the  French  embassador, 
245;  Francis  II.  ascends  the  throne  of,  246; 
demands  of,  that  France  should  restore  des- 
potic power,  249. 

Autun  (Bishop  of),  answer  of  Napoleon  to  the, 
231. 

Bagatelle,  pleasure-house  of  the  Count  d'Artois, 
72. 

Bailly  (Mons.),  attempt  to  eject  him  from  As- 
sembly, 101 ;  resigns  presidency  of  the  As- 
sembly, 105 ;  testimony  of,  regarding  the 
king.  111;  resigns  his  post  as  Mayor  of  Paris, 
243 ;  execution  of,  362. 

Banishment  of  Parliament  to  Troyes,  69 ;  re- 
sult of,  in  Paris,  69. 

Bank,  establishment  of  a,  36. 

Bankruptcy  in  France,  36;  the  national,  de- 
scribed, 63 ;  a  partial,  76. 

Barnave,  character  of,  216;  influence  of  con- 
versation of,  on  queen,  217;  speech  of,  on 
governments,  225 ;  his  last  interview  with  the 
queen,  252. 

Baronial  times,  France  during  the,  22. 

Barras,  assumes  the  command  of  the  National 
Guard,  384  ;  nominates  Napoleon  as  com- 
mander of  the  army,  404. 

Barry  (Madam  du),  character  of,  43. 

Bastille,  storming  of  the,  decided  upon,  118 ;  at- 
tack on  the,  120;  surrendered  by  its  garri- 
son, 121;  garrisoned  by  the  people,  123;  in- 
fluence of  the  fall  of,  upon  the  court,  123; 
the,  ordered  to  be  demolished,  1 30 ;  descrip- 
tion of  the,  53 ;  anniversary  of  destruction  of, 
182;  site  of  the,  converted  into  a  ball-room, 
186. 

Beaurepaire  (General),  suicide  of,  299. 

Bed  of  justice,  the  custom,  68. 

Beggary  now  becoming  universal,  169. 

Bensenval  exhorts  De  Latiney  to  be  firm,  120. 

Bcrthicr,  character  of,  1,'?.");   death  of,  137. 

Bertrand  dc  Moleville,  interview  of,  with  the 
king,   236. 

Bible,  how  used  by  the  Pajiists,  48 ;  reason  cf 
its  rejection  by  corrupt  men,  49. 

Bill  of  Kiglits  and  Constitution,  145. 

Billaud  Varennes,  sjieech  of,  .^92. 

Birth,  in  the  minds  of  the  nol)ility,  sujjcrior  even 
to  genius,  45. 

Bohemia,  war  declared  against,  by  France,  249. 


580 


INDEX. 


Boissy  d'Anglas,  heroism  of,  400, 

Bonaparte  (Napoleon),  his  boyhood,  76  ;  elo- 
quence of,  230;  opinion  of,  touching  disci- 
pline of  troops,  231 ;  confers  the  cross  of  the 
Legion  of  Honor  upon  a  tragedian,  178;  re- 
marks of,  upon  the  riot,  301 ;  his  first  action 
in  the  Revolution,  374 ;  intrusted  with  the 
defense  of  Paris,  405  ;  receives  the  thanks  of 
the  Convention,  409 ;  his  support  of  the  Di- 
rectory, 413;  ill  health  of,  420;  letter  of,  to 
Archduke  Charles,  421 ;  reply  to  the  same, 
422 ;  return  of,  to  Paris,  426 ;  return  of,  from 
Egypt,  429. 

Bouille'  (Marquis  de),  plans  and  executes  the 
escape  of  the  royal  family,  196;  attempt  of, 
to  rescue  the  king,  209 ;  letter  of,  to  the  As- 
sembly, 222. 

Bourrienne,  statement  of,  in  regard  to  the  mob 
of  20th  of  June,  260, 

Bread,  scarcity  of,  152. 

Bre'ze,  his  attempt  to  enforce  orders  of  the  king, 
99 ;  receives  orders  not  to  neglect  the  Assem- 
hly,  100. 

Brienne  (Archbishop),  succeeds  Calonne,  67 ; 
his  measure  for  the  preservation  of  the  na- 
tional credit,  68 ;  dissolves  the  Assembly  of 
Notables,  68  ;  his  fall,  68 ;  his  perplexity,  73 ; 
determines  to  break  down  Parliament,  73 ; 
his  plan,  73 ;  desires  Necker  to  take  control- 
lership  of  finances,  76 ;  resigns  and  goes  to 
Italy,  77. 

Brissot  (Mons.),  speech  of,  against  the  king,  270, 

Broglie  (Marshal)  commands  in  Versailles,  103 ; 
letter  of,  to  Prince  of  Conde,  111. 

Brunswick  (Duke  of),  proclamation  of  the,  279. 

Burke  (Edmund),  "Reflections"  by,  187;  his 
speech  on  the  imprisonment  of  La  Payette, 
298, 

Buzot,  death  of,  362. 

Caesar,  subjugation  of  Gaul  by,  1 7. 

Calonne,  his  appointment  as  minister  of  finance, 

65;    his  measures,  popularity,  and  success, 

65 ;  recommends  an  assembly  of  notables,  66 ; 

his  banishment  from  office,  67. 
Camille  Desmoulins.     See  Desmoulins. 
Campan  (Madame),  her  account  of  the  queen's 

troubles,    72 ;    statement  of,   concerning   the 

king,  238. 
Capetian  dynasty,  extent  of  the,  24. 
Carlovingian  dynasty  (the),  20;  end  of  the,  24. 
Carlyle,  statement  of,  402, 
Carmelites,  butchery  at  the,  302, 
Carnot,  energy  of,  in  organizing  armies,  341  ; 

purity  of,  420;  banishment  of,  424. 
Carrier,  horrible  brutality  of,  342. 
Catalan  (Monsieur),    in)i)risonment  of,  in  the 

Bastille,  56. 
Catherine  (of  Russia),  letter  of,  to  Lcojiold,  245. 
Catholics  incited  by  the  ecclesiastics  against  tlie 

Protestants,  174. 


Ce'cile  Regnault  arrested  on  suspicion  of  being 
an  assassin,  376. 

Champagne  (Count  of),  generosity  of  the,  23. 

Champs  de  Mai,  change  of  the  name  of  Champs 
de  Mars  to,  20. 

Champs  de  Mars,  meetings  on  the,  19. 

Charette,  arrest  and  execution  of,  413. 

Charlemagne,  policy  of  the  government  of,  20  ; 
Christianity  during  the  reign  of,  21. 

Charles  X.     &ee  D'Artois. 

Charles  Martel,  power  and  death  of,  20. 

Charlotte  Corday,  character  of,  337 ;  assassin- 
ates Marat,  338 ;  execution  of,  339. 

Chateauroux  (Duchess  of),  death  of,  39. 

Chatelet,  convicts  of,  driven  into  cells  by  the 
people,  115. 

Choiseul  (Duke  de),  boldness  of,  205. 

Christianity,  corruptions  of  the  Catholic  Church 
imputed  to,  47;  confounded  with  its  corrup- 
tions, 47 ;  the  corner-stone  of  democracy,  48  ; 
two  classes  of  assailants,  49 ;  decrees  advo- 
cating the  existence  of  the  Suj)reme  Being, 
375;  state  of,  during  Charlemagne's  reign, 
21 ;  renunciation  of,  360.  See  also  Sopremb 
Being. 

Church,  decrepitude  of  the,  invites  attack,  48 ; 
its  protection  of  vice  in  high  places,  48 ;  the, 
deprived  of  its  property  by  the  vote  of  the 
Assembly,  170;  members  of  the,  deprived  of 
their  position  for  refusing  to  take  the  oath, 
191 ;  the,  affected  by  the  Constitution,  242. 

Cispadane  Republic,  the  fii'st  Assembly  of  the, 
417. 

Citizens  of  Paris  placed  under  surveillance,  296. 

Citizens'  Guard  organized,  1 1 6.   See  also  Guard. 

Clergy,  their  oj)position  to  Calonne's  measures, 
67 ;  character  of  the,  23 ;  endeavor  of  the,  to 
use  religion  against  the  Revolution,  173 ; 
vast  wealth  of  the,  170. 

Clermont,  danger  of  the  king  at,  200. 

Clery,  his  faithful  devotion  to  the  royal  family, 
313;  shrewd  expedient  of,  to  ascertain  news, 
314. 

Clovis,  character  of,  illustrated,  18;  the  reign 
of,  19. 

Coblentz,  preparations  for  war  at,  241. 

Cockade  of  the  Revolution  chosen,  117;  ac- 
cepted by  Louis  XVI.,  130;  the  queen's  idea 
of  its  meaning,  132 ;  the  tricolor,  the  uniform 
of  France,  138. 

Committee  of  Public  Safety,  establishment  of 
the,  361. 

Commune  of  Paris,  efforts  of  the,  to  break  up 
the  conspiracy  of  the  Royalists,  295. 

"Compte  Rendu  au  Roi,"  effect  of  the  ]iublica- 
tion  of,  63. 

Condorcet,  death  ff,  362, 

Cons])iracy  of  nobles  to  overturn  Assembly,  102. 

Constitution,  assent  of  tlie  king  to  the,  232 ;  no- 
tice of  the,  by  the  European  powers,  240 ;  ac- 
cej)ted  by  the  king,  175;   and  Bill  of  Rights, 


INDEX. 


581 


145 ;  a  new  Jacobin,  enacted,  337 ;  proclama- 
tion of  the,  '2:y.i  ■  presentation  of  the,  to  the 
king,  231 ;  forniatiun  of,  by  the  Assembly, 
230, 

Constitutional  l)arty,  cause  of  the  decline  of  the, 
268. 

Convention  (National),  the,  declares  war  against 
England,  331 ;  liberal  laws  esacted  by  the, 
358 ;  attack  on  the,  by  Henriot,  384 ;  stormy 
meeting  at  the,  between  the  Jacobins  and 
Thermidorians,  393 ;  decrees  of,  against  the 
insurrection,  400 ;  session  of  the,  409 ;  re- 
marks of  Thiers  on  the,  410;  elections  for 
the,  508 ;  spirit  of  tho,  509. 

Corn-dealers,  attack  upon  the,  134. 

Council  (of  the  Ancients),  formation  of  the,  403; 
(of  Five  Hundred),  the,  403. 

Count  d'Artois  (Charles  X.)  placed  in  command 
of  an  army  from  England,  412;  letter  of  Na- 
poleon to,  421  ;   his  reply,  422. 

Court,  extravagance  of  the,  49 ;  haste  of,  to 
leave  Versailles,  58 ;  more  feared  by  the  ])eo- 
ple  than  tho  Parliament,  71 ;  the,  driven  to 
the  importation  of  Swiss  troops,  104;  how 
affected  by  cajiture  of  the  Bastille,  123;  em- 
ploys emissaries  to  buy  up  and  destroy  the 
bread,  152;  its  plans,  150;  exultation  of,  at 
the  arrival  of  the  Flanders  regiment,  157; 
the,  prosecutes  Mirabeaii  and  the  Duke  of 
Orleans,  188. 

Courtiers'  reasons  for  unbelief,  49. 

Credit,  public,  condition  of,  in  France  at  this 
time,  G5. 

Crown,  policy  of  the  officers  of  the,  in  keeping 
the  nobles  poor,  4G;  salary  of  the,  fixed, 
177. 

Currency,  recoining  of  the,  35. 

D'Agoust  (Captain)  turns  the  Parliament  of 
Paris  into  the  street,  75. 

D'Aguillon  (Duke),  services  of  the,  139. 

D'Artois  (Count),  accused  of  adultery  with  the 
queen,  72. 

D'Aumont  (Duke),  defense  of,  by  La  Fayette, 
211. 

D'Espremcnil  obtains  the  edict  establishing  the 
courts,  73 ;  discovers  Brienne's  plan  to  the 
Parliament,  74. 

D'Estaing  (Admiral),  commander  of  the  Na- 
tional Guards  of  Versailles,  15G;  letter  of,  to 
Marie  Antoinette,  157. 

Danton  appointed  minister  of  justice,  290;  re- 
markable prediction  of,  to  Louis  Philii)iie, 
307 ;   arrested  and  executed,  3fiG. 

Dauphin,  imprisonment  of  the,  351 ;  death  of 
the,  412. 

De  Launey,  conduct  of,  at  the  storming  of  the 
Bastille,  119;  attem]its  tc  blow  up  the  Bas- 
tille, 121  ;   death  ol,  'l22. 

De  Tocquevillc,  his  reasons  for  the  bad  odor  of 
Christianity,  48 ;  explanation  of,  concerning 

E 


the  blindness  of  the  ruling  classes  to  their 
danger,  49. 

Death,  how  regarded  by  revolutionary  writers, 
47. 

Debts  of  France  at  the  death  of  Louis  XIV..  35. 

Decisions  (judicial),  bought  and  sold,  49. 

Declaration  of  Louis  XVI.  of  the  object  of  his 
leaving  Paris,  221. 

Decree  establishing  the  courts  a  perfect  failure, 
75,  7G. 

Deseze,  appeal  of,  for  the  king,  324. 

Desmoulins  (Camille),  incites  to  rebellion,  108; 
his  oratory,  149;  speech  of,  on  the  ten  dollar 
decree,  1 72 ;  interview  of,  with  La  Fayette, 
213;  remorse  of,  on  the  condemnation  of  the 
Girondists,  354 ;  letter  of,  to  his  wife,  3G8 ; 
terror  of,  at  the  prospect  of  death,  371 ;  exe- 
cution of,  372. 

Desmoulins  (Lucile),  letter  of,  to  Robespierre, 
3G8;  heroism  and  condemnation  of,  371  ;  ex- 
ecution of,  373. 

Desodoards,  his  description  of  the  state  of  Par- 
Is,  358. 

Despotism  of  the  Court  more  oppressive  than 
that  of  the  Parliament,  71. 

Dessault,  his  ^^  crime"  and  sufferings,  55;  years 
of,  in  ])rison,  50. 

Diamond  Necklace-  the,  72. 

Diderot,  his  connection  with  the  "Encyclope- 
dia," 48;  commences  by  attacking  Christian- 
ity, 48  ;   imprisonment  of,  48. 

Directory,  formation  of  the,  411;  Napoleon's 
agency  in  supj)orting  the,  413;  message  of 
the,  419;  the  two  parties  in  the,  420. 

Drouet  discovers  the  king,  200 ;  arrests  the  roy- 
al family  at  Varennes,  201. 

Dubois,  character  of,  36. 

Duke  of  Orleans  regent,  34 ;  character  of  the 
regencj',  35 ;  death  of  the,  36 ;  insult  of,  at 
the  Tuileries,  240. 

Dumont,  description  of  aftairs  by,  114;  account 
of  Mirabcau's  influence,  149. 

Dumouriez,  interview  of,  with  the  queen,  247; 
entreats  the  king  to  sanction  the  decree  of  the 
Assembly,  253 ;  his  traitorous  surrender  of 
fortresses  to  the  Austrians,  333 ;  retires  to 
Switzerland,  334. 

Ecclesiastics  superseded  in  office  for  refusing  the 
oath,  191. 

Edgeworth  (Monsieur),  visits  the  king  at  the 
Temple,  325. 

Edict  of  Nantes,  proclamation  of,  by  Henry  IV., 
31  ;  revocation  of,  by  Louis  XIV.,  31. 

Edicts  issued  against  Protestants  by  Louis 
XIV.,  29. 

Education  removes  the  superiority  of  the  he- 
reditary nobility,  46. 

Electors  of  Paris  solicit  the  organization  of  Cit- 
izens' Guard,  112;  dcjiutation  of,  115;  by 
their  acts  become  a  new  government,  117. 

E 


582 


INDEX. 


Elizabeth  (Madame,  sister  of  the  queen),  exe- 
cution of,  351. 

England,  war  declared  against,  by  the  National 
Convention,  331 ;  determination  of,  to  crush 
the  Republic,  39G ;  energy  of,  in  prosecuting 
the  war  against  France,  402  ;  expedition  from, 
to  rouse  the  Royalists,  411;  her  price  for 
peace,  418. 

Enthusiasm  in  France  awakened  by  American 
Revolution,  60. 

Equality,  universal,  origin  of  inquiry  into,  47. 

Etiquette,  want  of,  on  the  part  of  the  Assembly 
toward  the  king,  238. 

Europe,  reply  of  the  powers  of,  to  the  French 
Constitution,  240. 

Executions,  rapid  increase  of,  377. 

Extravagance  of  Court,  effect  of,  on  nation,  49. 

Famine  in  Paris,  398. 

Fanaticism  excited  by  the  ecclesiastics,  174. 

Fauchet  (Abbe),  sermon  of,  144. 

Favorites  of  the  king  accustomed  to  obtain  blank 
and  sealed  lettres  de  cachet,  53. 

Favrus  (Marquis  of),  accused  of  attempt  to  as- 
sassinate La  Fayette  and  Bailly,  175 ;  trial 
and  sentence  of,  179. 

Fersen  (Count),  aids  the  royal  family  in  their 
flight,  199. 

Feudal  system,  rise  of  the,  from  the  remains  of 
Charlemagne's  empire,  22 ;  period  of  the,  24 ; 
state  of  society  to  which  it  is  adapted,  46; 
like  darkness  before  light,  is  dispersed  by  pop- 
ular intelligence,  46;  its  decline,  46;  privi- 
leges of  the,  surrendered,  140. 

Field  of  Mars,  assemblage  of  the  people  at  the, 
301. 

Flesselles  (Mayor),  cheats  the  people,  118 ;  death 
of,  122. 

Fleurus,  battle  of,  391 

Food,  want  of,  begins  to  be  felt,  133. 

Foulon,  account  of,  1 35  ;  death  of,  136. 

Fouquier  Tinville,  fall  of,  391. 

France,  origin  of  the  name  of,  18;  condition  of, 
during  reign  of  Louis  XIV.,  34  ;  the  sources 
of  peril  of,  264 ;  the  three  parties  in,  267 ;  in- 
vaded by  the  Allies  in  1792,  276;  utter  con- 
fusion in,  428. 

Francis  II.  ascends  the  throne  of  Austria,  246. 

Fran9ois,  a  baker,  hung  by  the  mob,  167. 

Franklin  (Benjamin),  effect  of  his  simplicity 
upon  the  French,  61. 

Fraternity  the  watchword  of  the  masses,  47; 
this  principle  the  soul  of  the  Revolution,  47. 

Frederick  II.  of  Prussia,  friendship  of,  for  Vol- 
taire, 49. 

Free  institutions  supported  by  education,  46. 

French  Academy  established,  27. 

Gamin,  master  blacksmith  to  the  king,  65  ;   ac- 
count by,  of  the  king's  character,  65. 
Garde  du  Corps,  conflict  of,  with  the  people,  161. 


Gaul,  its  appearance  in  ancient  times,  17 ;  sub- 
jugation of,  by  Caesar,  17 ;  the  home  of  war 
and  tumult,  18. 

Generosity  of  the  king  and  others,  152. 

Genius,  inability  of,  to  efface  ignoble  birth,  45. 

Girondists,  cause  of  the  name  of,  246 ;  joy  of 
the,  on  the  Republic  being  proclaimed,  309 ; 
plot  to  assassinate  the,  332 ;  the,  arrested, 
337  ;  brought  before  the  Revolutionary  tri- 
bunal, 353 ;  condemnation  of  the,  354 ;  last 
supper  of  the,  355 ;  execution  of  the,  356. 

Goguelat  (M.  de),  shot  by  the  National  Guard, 
206. 

"Golden  age  of  kings,"  the,  29. 

Government,  its  desire  to  keep  the  people  poor, 
50 ;  the,  of  the  National  Assembly  establish- 
ed, 127. 

Crenelle,  attack  on  the  camp  at,  417. 

Grenoble,  Parliament  at,  refuses  to  surrender  to 
the  lettres  de  cac/iet,  75. 

Guard,  National,  formed  and  placed  under  com- 
mand, 126. 

Guards,  the  French,  protect  the  people,  110; 
refuse  to  accept /mrc/o??,  128. 

Guillotin  (Dr.),  proposes  the  use  of  his  instru- 
ment, 173. 

Gustavus  III.  (of  Sweden),  assassination  of, 
247. 

Hebert,  the  leader  in  Paris,  364 ;  downfall  and 

death  of,  365. 
Hcbcrtists,  execution  of  the,  365. 
Henriot,  arrest  of,  383. 
Henry  (of  Bourbon),  death  of,  27. 
Henry  III.,  the  last  of  the  Valois,  death  of, 

27. 
Henry  IV.  ascends  the  throne,  27;   character 

of  his  reign,  27;  death  of,  27. 
Holland,  the  Allies  driven  from,  394. 
Hugh  Capet  seizes  the  French  throne,  24. 
Hungary,  war  declared  against,  by  France,  249. 

Imprisonment,  horrors  of,  in  the  Bastille,  54. 

Infidel  writers  during  reign  of  Louis  XV.,  42. 

Infidelity  becomes  the  fashion,  and  why,  48. 

Insult  to  the  deputies  of  the  people,  86. 

Insurrection,  cause  of  failure  of  the,  46 ;  reason 
for,  46 ;  planned  against  the  National  Con- 
vention, 400. 

Intellect,  if  of  the  lower  class,  thought  lightly  of, 
45. 

Invasion,  the  fear  of,  arms  France,  142. 

Ireland,  hatred  of  the  people  of,  against  En- 
gland, 418;  expedition  to,  419. 

Iron  chest,  building  of  the,  252. 

Isnard  (Monsieur),  speech  of,  on  the  Austrian 
war,  249. 

Italian  campaign,  the  victories  of  the,  421. 

Italy,  the  campaign  in,  415. 

Jacobin  Club,  demand  of,  for  the  deposition  of 


INDEX, 


583 


the  kinp,  227 ;  present  their  mandate  to  the 
Assembly,  228 ;  their,  resolve  to  dethrone  the 
king,  277 ;  beeome  the  dominant  power  in 
France,  2!)5  ;   club-house  of  the,  closed,  394, 

Jacobins,  origin  of  the,  75 ;  arrive  at  the  sum- 
mit of  their  power,  214  ;  the  intiuence  of  the, 
225. 

Jacquerie,  insurrection  of  the,  26. 

Jefferson  (Thomas),  opinion  of,  on  the  condition 
of  the  French,  52 ;  letter  of,  to  Mr.  Jay,  on 
the  States -General,  81;  probably  aided  in 
composition  of  Bill  of  Rights,  107;  assists  in 
preparing  the  Ueclaration  of  Kights,  147 ;  re- 
marks of,  upon  the  questions  of  tiie  day,  154 ; 
opinion  of,  concerning  Louis  XVI.,  329. 

Jemappes,  battle  of,  310. 

Jeunesse  Dore'e,  rise  of  the  band  of,  390. 

Joseph  II.  of  Austria,  rejjly  of,  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  the  American  War  of  Independence, 
61. 

Josephine  Beauharnais  imprisoned  in  Paris, 
378. 

Judges  bought  their  offices  and  sold  their  deci- 
sions, 49. 

King.     See  Louis  XVL 

Kleber,  victories  of,  on  the  Upper  Rhine,  395. 

Laclos,  editor  of  the  Jacobin  Journal,  225. 

La  Fayette  (Marquis  de),  advocates  the  Amer- 
ican War  of  Independence,  01 ;  his  boldness 
at  the  Assembly  of  Notables,  67 ;  joins  the 
National  Assembly,  101  ;  vice-president  of 
National  Assembly,  106 ;  presents  the  As- 
sembly with  the  Bill  of  Rights,  107;  made 
commander  of  the  National  Guard,  126;  in- 
forms the  Parisians  of  the  king's  speech,  126; 
attempt  of,  to  save  Foulon,  136;  makes  the 
Declaration  of  Rights,  147;  danger  of,  150; 
popularity  of,  declines,  155;  his  knowledge 
of  the  royalist  plots,  156;  saves  the  palace 
from  destruction,  161 ;  presents  atul  recon- 
ciles the  queen  to  the  ]ieople,  103;  ensui-es 
the  safety  of  the  queen's  guard,  163 ;  confi- 
dence of,  in  the  people,  183;  takes  the  oath 
of  fidelity,  183;  accused  by  the  people  of 
treason,  210;  issues  an  order  for  arrest  of  the 
king,  210;  assumption  of  power  by,  210; 
boldness  of,  in  rescuing  d'Aumont,  211;  in- 
terview of,  with  Desmoulins,  213;  insult  to, 
by  the  queen,  220 ;  unpopularity  of,  226 ;  dis- 
persion of  the  Jacobin  mob  by,  228 ;  aversion 
of  the  queen  toward,  240 ;  resigns  the  com- 
mand of  the  National  Guard,  243 ;  his  speech 
to  the  Assembly  on  the  outrages  of  20th  of 
June,  263 ;  burned  in  effigy,  264 ;  his  plan 
for  saving  the  king,  271 ;  calumniated  by  or- 
ders of  the  queen,  273 ;  denounced  as  a  trai- 
tor, 280 ;  arrested  and  imprisoned  at  Olmutz, 
,  297^ 

La  Force,  prison  of,  broken  open,  115, 


La  Perousc,  instructions  for  his  voyage  framed, 
58. 

La  Vendee,  rise  of  the  Royalists  in,  332 ;  insur- 
rection at,  crushed,  342 ;  horrible  executions 
in,  343. 

Lamballc  (Princess),  trial  and  execution  of,  303, 

Lamottc,  Comtesse,  72. 

Land,  projjortion  owned  by  the  tax-payers,  50 ; 
difficulty  of  jiurchasing,  52. 

Latude,  his  imprisonment,  56 ;  account  of  his 
captivity,  57. 

Launey  (M.  de),  character  of,  118. 

Lebrun  appointed  minister  of  foreign  affairs, 
290. 

Lefebvre  (Abbe'),  distributes  powder  to  the  peo- 
ple, 117. 

Legendre,  attempt  of,  to  save  Danton,  367. 

Legislative  Assembly,  formation  of  the,  237 ; 
measures  of  the,  against  the  non-conforming 
priests,  243.     See  also  Assembly. 

Legislature,  how  should  it  be  constituted  ?  148, 

Leopold,  death  of,  246.     See  also  Austria. 

Lepelletier,  assassination  of,  330. 

Letters,  anon}Tnous,  to  Louis  XV.,  41 ;  men  of, 
regarded  as  curiosities,  46. 

Lettres  de  cachet,  blank,  filled  up  by  the  king's 
favorites,  53 ;  number  issued  during  the  reign 
of  Louis  XV.,  55;  ease  with  which  they  were 
obtained,  55 ;  abolished  by  the  National  As- 
sembly, 236. 

Liancourt  (Duke  of),  midnight  interview  of, 
with  the  king,  123. 

Libertines  still  infidels,  but  not  openly,  47. 

Literature  and  art,  state  of,  during  reign  of 
Louis  XIV.,  33. 

Loan,  one  hundred  millions  of  dollars  on  peo- 
ple alone,  69. 

Louis  Cajiet.     See  Lons  XVI. 

Louis  Philippe,  poverty  cf,  334;  prediction  of 
Danton  to,  507. 

Louis  XIII.,  his  reign,  27. 

Louis  XIV.,  death  of,  33;  state  of  society  dar- 
ing his  reign,  25  ;  character  of,  29. 

Louis  XV.,  marriage  of,  38;  length  of  the  reign 
of,  38;. political  reasons  of,  for  countenancing 
Voltaire,  49 ;  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
kttres  de  cachet  during  the  reign  of,  55 ; 
death  of,  57. 

Louis  XVI.,  absolute  power  of,  53;  character 
of,  58 ;  commencement  of,  as  king,  58 ;  ap- 
pointment of  his  ministers,  59 ;  love  of,  for 
blacksmiths'  work,  65  ;  orders  Parliament  to 
register  decree  taxing  all  lands  alike,  68 ; 
banishes  Parliament  to  Troves,  69 ;  banishes 
the  Duke  d'Orleans,  70;  decrees  an  equal 
representation  in  States-General,  79 ;  orders 
Bre'ze  not  to  molest  the  National  Assembly, 
100;  character  of,  by  M.  Bailly,  111;  mid- 
night interview  of  Duke  of  Liancourt  with, 
123;  visits  and  explains  himself  to  the  As- 
sembly,  124;   conducted  in   triumph  to  the 


'584 


INDEX. 


palace,  125;  his  loss  of  power,  127;  recalls 
Necker,  128;  visits  the  Parisians,  129;  ac- 
cepts the  acts  of  the  people,  130;  accepts  the 
tricolored  cockade,  130 ;  reception  of,  by  the 
French  people,  131 ;  gives  money  to  the  poor, 
133 ;  decides  to  obey  the  people,  162 ;  walks 
alone  among  the  people,  166;  rumors  of  at- 
tempts to  carry  off,  175 ;  visit  of,  to  the  As- 
sembly, 175 ;  speech  of,  at  the  Assembly,  176 ; 
takes  the  oath  to  the  people,  184;  effect  of 
the  death  of  Mirabeau  upon,  195 ;  intentions 
of,  relating  to  flight,  196;  surrounded  by  the 
National  Guards,  197;  flight  of,  198;  discov- 
ered by  Drouet,  200 ;  arrested  at  Varennes, 
201 ;  appearance  of,  after  arrest,  204  ;  influ- 
ence of  the  appearance  of,  207 ;  carried  back 
to  Paris,  208 ;  prophetical  exclamation  of, 
208  ;  injudicious  memorial  of,  212  ;  return  of, 
to  Paris  from  Varennes,  215;  entrance  of, 
into  Paris,  218;  offers  a  declaration  of  the 
object  of  his  leaving  Paris,  221 ;  presentation 
of  the  Constitution  to,  231 ;  cordial  assent  of, 
to  the  Constitution,  232 ;  takes  the  oath  to 
support  the  Constitution,  232 ;  reception  of, 
by  the  Assembly,  234 ;  experience  of,  in  the 
variableness  of  the  mob,  234  ;  remarks  of,  to 
Bertrand  de  Moleville,  236 ;  the  Assembly 
addressed  by,  238 ;  proclamation  of,  to  the 
emigrants  at  Coblentz,  242 ;  letter  of,  to  Louis 
Stanislas  Xavier,  242 ;  his  protection  of  the 
non-conforming  priests,  243 ;  speech  of,  to  the 
Assembly,  244  ;  declares  war  against  Austria, 
246 ;  speech  of,  to  the  Assembly  on  the  de- 
mands of  Austria,  249  ;  deplorable  dejection 
of,  254 ;  character  of,  described  by  the  queen, 
267;  plans  for  the  escape  of,  271;  his  silk 
breast-plate,  275  ;  petitions  for  his  dethrone- 
ment, 280  ;  insulted  in  the  garden,  283 ;  takes 
refuge  with  the  National  Assembly,  285  ;  sus- 
pended by  the  National  Assembh',  289 ;  a 
prisoner,  292  ;  taken  to  the  Temple,  294  ;  in- 
sults of,  at  the  Temple,  311 ;  summoned  to  ap- 
pear before  the  Revolutionary  Tribunal,  315 ; 
trial  of,  316;  anecdote  concerning,  317;  in- 
formed of  his  condemnation,  324  ;  his  last  in- 
ten'iew  with  his  family,  325  ;  his  bequests, 
826 ;   his  execution,  329. 

Louis  XVIL     See  DArrPHiN. 

Louis  XVIII.  (Count  of  Provence),  reply  of,  to 
the  letter  of  the  king  to,  242. 

Lourtalot  (Monsieur),  incites  to  the  rescue  of 
the  soldiers,  104. 

Lyons  captured  by  the  Eevolutionists,  342 ;  ris- 
ing of  the  Royalists  at,  398. 

Maillard,  his  judicial  labors  at  the  prison  of  Ab- 

baye,  303. 
Mailly  (Madame  de),  favorite  of  Louis  XV.,  38. 
Malesherbos,  execution  of,  360. 
Marat  (Jean  Paul),  his  advice  to  the  people, 

105 ;  opinion  of,  concerning  National  Assem- 


bly, 146;  desires  to  abrogate  the  death  pen- 
alty, 173;  speech  of,  to  the  Jacobin  Club, 
214;  trial  and  victory  of,  335;  assassination 
of,  338  ;  bust  of,  thrown  into  the  mud,  398. 

Marceau,  death  of,  414. 

Maria,  wife  of  Louis  XV.,  38. 

Maria  Theresa  a  prisoner,  292 ;  taken  to  the 
Temple,  294 ;  liberation  of,  351 ;  marriage 
and  death  of,  352. 

Marie  Antoinette,  education  of,  58;  her  posi- 
tion, 71 ;  at  Trianon,  her  troubles,  72 ;  ac- 
cused of  adultery  with  the  Count  d'Artois, 
72 ;  involved  with  Comtesse  Lamotte  in  the 
public  estimation,  72 ;  intrusts  her  son  to  the 
nobility,  100 ;  effect  of  seeing  the  tricolor 
worn  by  the  king,  132;  takes  the  oath  of 
fidelity,  185;  plans  the  escape  of  the  king, 
197;  flight  of,  198,  199;  arrested  at  Va- 
rennes, 201  ;  indignation  of,  at  the  disrespect 
shown  to  the  king,  203 ;  pleads  with  the  may- 
or's wife,  206 ;  insult  of,  to  La  Fayette,  220 ; 
respect  of,  for  popular  rights,  234;  anguish 
of,  at  the  disrespect  shown  the  king,  238 ;  her 
hatred  of  La  Fayette,  240 ;  attempt  to  assas- 
sinate, 266 ;  her  opinion  of  the  king's  char- 
acter, 267  ;  adventures  of,  in  the  mob  of  20th 
of  June,  287 ;  the  dauphin  ordered  to  be  taken 
from,  346 ;  taken  to  the  Conciergerie,  347 ; 
trial  of,  348 ;  condemnation  and  letter  of,  to 
her  sister,  349 ;  execution  of,  350. 

Marly,  palace  of,  35. 

Massat,  imprisonment  of,  in  the  Bastille,  56. 

Masses,  wretchedness  of  the,  47;  their  condi- 
tion during  the  reign  of  Louis  XV.,  52. 

Memorial  of  the  king  on  leaving  Paris,  212. 

Mercenaries,  foreign,  collected  in  Paris,  104. 

Merovingian  dynasty,  the,  18. 

Mirabeau,  his  course  to  identify  himself  with 
the  people,  80 ;  character  of,  80 ;  his  expul- 
sion from  the  Parliament,  80;  his  aspect  at 
the  States-General,  86;  his  formal  "Letters 
to  my  Constituents,"  87;  speech  of,  upon  the 
dissolution,  99 ;  compares  American  and  En- 
glish revolutions  with  that  of  France,  102 ; 
speech  of,  concerning  the  movements  of  the 
army,  106 ;  his  position  in  the  Assembly,  107 ; 
instruction  to,  of  the  deputy  to  the  king,  124 ; 
opposes  the  amnesty,  139;  how  regarded  by 
the  Parisians,  149 ;  his  motives  explained, 
152  ;  supports  the  confiscation  of  church  prop- 
erty, 171;  defends  the  Convention  from  the 
charge  of  usurpation,  174;  physical  condition 
of,  189;  interview  of,  with  the  queen,  189 
plans  of,  to  overturn  the  Constitution,  190 
opposition  of,  to  law  against  emigration,  191 
plot  of,  for  the  king's  escape,  192;  death  of, 
193;  funeral  of,  194. 

Mob  becomes  fast  and  furious,  168;  actions  of 
the,  on  the  20th  of  June,  1792,  255. 

Moleville  (Bertrand  de),  remarks  of,  on  the  As- 
sembly, 235. 


INDEX. 


585 


Moli^re,  his  reception  at  the  Courtiers'  table, 

45. 
Monarchy  supported  by  the  Papacy,  48. 
Monge  ai)pointed  minister  of  the  marine,  290. 
Monopolists,  hatred  of  the  people  against,  1^4. 
Montesquieu  explains  the  national  policy  to  the 

people,  47. 
Moors,  incursions  of  the,  into  France,  20. 


Napoleon.     See  Bonaparte. 

National  bankruptcy  described,  G3. 

National  Guard  formed,  12G;  losing  influence, 

150;  disj)ersion  of  a  mob  by  the,  229. 
Necker,  appointment  of,  as  minister  of  finance, 
60  ;  policy  of,  GO ;  his  position  and  struggles, 
62 ;  his  "  Compte  rendu  au  Roi"  and  its  effect, 
63 ;  recommends  fornuition  of  provincial  par- 
liaments, G3 ;  his  measures  and  their  recep- 
tion, G4 ;  recalled,  77 ;  effects  upon  the  peo- 
ple of  his  recall,  77;  applauded  by  the  people 
for  refusing  to  attend  the  royal  sitting,  100; 
remarks  of,  on  the  conspiracy  of  the  nobles 
against  the  National  Assembly,  102;  his  ad- 
vice disregarded,  107;  dismissal  of,  108;  re- 
called, 128 ;  return  of,  to  Paris,  138 ;  resig- 
nation of,  189. 
Nemours  (Duke  of),  his  accusation  and  punish- 
ment, 54. 
Noailles  (Viscount  de),  ser^'ices  of,  139 ;  arm  of 

the,  rejected  by  the  queen,  220. 
Nobility,   their   doctrine    regarding    the    lower 
class,  45 ;    hereditary,  state  of  society  which 
abolishes,  4G ;  much  dissatisfied  with  the  de- 
cree of  equality  of  representation,  79;    tri- 
umph of  the,  9G,  97 ;  ordered  by  the  king  to 
join  the  National  Assembly,  101  ;  dissatisfac- 
tion of  the,  with  the  Assembly,  101  ;  conspir- 
acy of  the,  to  overturn  Assembly,  102;  yield 
their  feudal  rights,  140;  plots  ofthc,  15G;  re- 
ligion of  the,   170;    plans  of  the,  191.     See 
also  Nobles. 
Nobles  obliged  to  unite  with  the  king,  and  to 
promise  to  submit  to  all  the  taxes,  90;  aban- 
donment of  their  chateaux  for  a  metropolitan 
residence,  45 ;  income  of,  in  province  of  Li- 
mousin, according  to  Turgot,  45  ;  position  of 
the,  in  the  days  of  feudal  grandeur,  4G ;  now 
hated  by  the  peasants,  46 ;  all  taxation  stead- 
ily opposed  by  the,  65-68 ;  every  where  resist 
the  decree  of  Brienne,  75;  their  plan  for  man- 
aging the  States-General,  84  ;  exult  in  their 
supposed  victory,  100;    forty-seven   join   the 
National  Assembly,  101  ;  obstruct  tlie  action 
of  the  Assembly,  105;  plan  of,  to  regain  their 
ascendency,  141. 
Normandy,  revolt  in,  24. 

Notables  (Assembly  of),  recommended  by  Ca- 
lonne,  G6  ;  the  meeting,  67  ;  meeting  of,  call- 
ed to  settle  questions  about  the  States-Gen- 
eral, 78. 


Oath  of  fidelity  taken,  184. 

Orleans  (Duke  of),  enters  his  protest  in  Parlia- 
ment against  the  king's  commands,  70;  ban- 
ished by  the  king,  70 ;  contemplates  usur])a- 
tion,  71  ;  joins  the  National  Assembly,  101. 

Orleans,  massacre  of  the  Koyalists'of,  308. 

Oubliettes,  description  of,  55. 


Paine  (Thomas),  one  of  the  Jacobins,  224. 
Papacy  the  right  arm  of  monarchy,  48. 
Pare  aux  Cei/s,  institution  of,  40. 
Paris,  from  what  it  s])rung,  19 ;  state  of,  on  July 
1 2,  1 789,  111;  garrisoned  by  the  people,  124 ; 
municijjal  government  of,  arrogates  supreme 
power,  145;  events  at,  on  the  king's  escape, 
209 ;  a  new  mayor  of,  chosen,  243 ;  mob  in, 
on  the  9th  of  August,  1792,  281;   arrest  of 
tlie  Royalists  of,  300;  festival  in,  to  celebrate 
the  Jacobin  Constitution,  339 ;  famine  in,  398. 
Parliament  asserts  that  it  has  no  power  to  reg- 
ister decrees,  68 ;  custom  of,  to  register  king's 
decrees,    68 ;    passes   resolution    concerning 
States-General,  69 ;  its  desire  to  obtain  feudal 
privileges,  73  ;  forced  to  surrender  D'Espre'me'- 
nil  and  De  Monsabert,  74 ;  meets  and  declares 
its  session  permanent,  74 ;  method  of  the,  in 
receiving  the  king's  commissioners,  76;    its 
condemnation   of  La   Fayette,  298;   of  the 
provinces  abolished,  172. 
Parties,  number  of,  in  France,  190, 
Patronage  of  men  of  letters  by  nobility,  nature 

of,  46. 
Paupers,  numbers  of,  169. 

Peasants,  their  hatred  of  the  nobility  and  crowd, 
46;  call  them  "vultures,"  46;  their  fear  of 
tax-collectors,  50 ;   their  difficulties,  52. 
"Pensees  Phihsophiques"  burned  by  execution, 

48. 
People  side  with  the  Pariiament,  71;  support 
their  enemies,  the  Parliaments,  73;  enjoined 
to  send  in  account  of  grievances  to  the  States- 
General,  79 ;  condition  of  the,  83 ;  send  in  re- 
quests to  the  Assembly,  105;  bear  the  busts 
of  Necker  and  Orleans  in  triumph,  109;  sack 
the  convents  for  wine  and  wheat,  115;  arm 
and   garrison   the  Bastille,   123;    escort  the 
king  to  the  palace,  125;  of  Paris  desire  the 
king  to  visit  them,  129;    becoming  soldiers 
from  fear  of  invasion,  142;   demand  of  the, 
that  the  king  shall  go  lo  Paris,  162;  influ- 
ence of  the  king's  appearance  upon  the,  207; 
enthusiasm  of  the,  at  the  reading  of  the  Con- 
stitution, 234. 
Pepin  ascends  the  throne,  20. 
Persecution  of  Protestants  renewed,  37;  the  ar- 
gument of  the  Church,  48. 
Pe'tion  chosen  Mayor  of  Paris,  244  ;  dilatory  con- 
duct of,  in  the  mob  of  20th  of  June,  259 ;  his 
dismissal  from  the  Tuileries,  2G2;   petitions 
the  Assembly  for  the  dethronement  of  tho 
king,  280 ;  found  dead  in  the  forest,  362. 


586 


INDEX. 


Pharamond,  chief  of  the  Franks,  18 ;  obtains 

supremacy  over  Gaul,  18. 
Pliilip  (the  Fair)  establishes  his  Parliament  in 

Paris,  24. 
Philip  VI.  crowned  at  Kheims,  25 ;  luxury  of 

the  court  of,  25. 
Philosophy,  of  the  writers  on,  47 ;  of  Eevolu- 

tionary  writers,  results  of,  47. 
Pichegru  appointed  commander  of  the  Parisian 

forces,  401. 
Piety,  its  rarity  forms  an  admirable  foil  to  show 

up  the  corruption  surrounding,  48. 
Pitt  (William),  his  approval  of  Burke's  book, 

187 ;  statement  of,  to  the  French  envoy,  240 ; 

his  opinion  of  La  Fayette,  298. 
Political  economy  simjilified  for  the  masses,  47. 
Politics  superior  in  influence  to  religion  over 

Louis  XV.,  49. 
Pompadour  (Madame   de),  character    of,   39 ; 

death  of,  43. 
Popular     sovereignty,     when     legitimated     in 

France,  62. 
PoA'erty  of  nobles  in  every  thing  but  pride,  45. 
Power  of  France  in  the  hands  of  nobility,  64  ; 

aid  of  foreign,  to  the  noblesse,  196. 
Priests,  attempts  of,  to  rouse  the  populace,  177. 
Prisons,  for  what  purposes  used  by  Jesuits,  55 ; 

number  of,  in  Pai-is,  55 ;  terrible  suffering  in 

the,  359. 
Privileged  class,  number  of,  in  France  during 

the  reign  of  Louis  XV.,  45;  dissatisfied  with 

Turgot's  measures,  60 ;  calculation  of  numer- 
ical strength  of,  64. 
Privileges  (feudal).     See  Feudal. 
Protestants,  persecution  of,  by  Louis  XIV.,  29 ; 

number  of,  in  France,  30;    "dragooned  into 

Catholic  faith,"  30;  escape  of,  from  France, 

32 ;  persecution  of,  renewed,  37. 
Province  of  Vende'e,  religious  troubles  in,  243. 

See  La  Vendee. 
Provinces,  France  divided  into,  171. 
Provincial  Parliaments,  formation    of,  recom- 
mended by  Necker,  63.      See  also  Paelia- 

MENT. 

Prussia,  desire  of,  to  withdraw  from  the  coali- 
tion, 396. 
Public  credit,  condition  of,  in  France  now,  65. 

Rastadt,  assassination  of  the  embassadors  at, 
428. 

Rebellion,  people  incited  to,  by  Camille  Des- 
moulins,  108. 

"Reflections,"  by  Edmund  Burke,  187. 

Reform,  few  of  the  nobility  in  favor  of,  79. 

Reign  of  Terror,  France  surrendered  to  the, 
345 ;  more  endurable  than  the  old  dominion, 
402. 

Religion,  how  represented  by  Revolutionary 
writers,  47 ;  becomes  the  policy  of  the  nobles, 
170;  the  aid  of,  brought  to  be.nr,  by  the  cler- 
gy, 173.     See  also  Christianity. 


Renville  (Constant  de),  confinement  of,  in  the 
Bastille,  53. 

Republicans,  increase  of  the,  246. 

Revolution,  its  outbreak  and  failure  explained, 
46 ;  list  of  the  victims  of  the,  379. 

Revolutionary  Tribunal,  origin  of  the,  296;  trial 
of  the  king  before  the,  322. 

Richelieu  (Cardinal),  his  character  and  influ- 
ence as  a  politician,  27;  his  death,  27;  cru- 
elty of,  to  Dessault,  55 ;  iron-hearted  firm- 
ness of,  56. 

Riot,  description  of  the  first,  82 ;  fomented  to 
prevent  meeting  of  the  States  -  General, 
82. 

Robespierre  (Maximilian),  first  appearance  cf, 
88  ;  desires  to  abolish  the  death  ])cnalty,  173 ; 
demands  an  act  of  accusation  against  the  Gi- 
rondists, 336;  turns  against  Danton  and  Des- 
moulins,  365 ;  speech  of,  against  Danton, 
367 ;  inexj)licabl3  character  of,  375 ;  decrees 
of,  in  favor  of  the  existence  of  the  Suitreme 
Being,  375 ;  supposed  attempt  to  assassinate, 
396 ;  dawning  opposition  to,  377 ;  urged  to 
assume  the  dictatorship,  378 ;  defeat  of,  in 
the  Convention,  380 ;  arrest  of,  with  his  broth- 
er, 383 ;  assanation  and  rearrest  of,  386 ;  con- 
demnation of,  387  ;  execution  of,  388. 

Roederer  (Monsieur),  interview  of,  Avith  the  roy- 
al family,  284. 

Rohan  (Cardinal),  involved  with  Comtesse  La- 
motte,  72. 

Roland  (Monsieur),  dismissal  of,  from  the  of- 
fice of  minister  of  the  interior,  254  ;  death  of, 
363. 

Roland  (Madame),  her  letter  to  the  king,  254 ; 
anecdote  concerning,  309 ;   death  of,  363. 

Rollo,  an  incident  related  of,  23. 

Roman  empire,  decline  of  the,  17. 

Romeuf  (M.  de),  arrest  of  the  king  by,  208. 

Rousseau  employs  his  eloquence  for  Revolution, 
47. 

Royal  decree,  customs  regarding  it,  68. 

Royal  family,  flight  of  the,  198;  their  mode  of 
life  in  the  Temple,  311.  See  also  Louis 
XVI.  and  Maeie  Antoinette. 

Sabbath,  attempts  to  obliterate  the,  361. 

Salt,  duty  on,  abolished,  172. 

Santerre  ajjpointed  to  the  command  of  the  Na- 
tional Guard,  296. 

Sausse  (Madame),  answer  of,  to  the  applica- 
tions of  the  queen,  206. 

Schools  established  by  Charlemagne,  21. 

Sermon  of  the  Bishop  of  Nancy,  86 ;  of  Abbe 
Fauchct,  144. 

Sheriff  obliged  to  have  a  guard,  50. 

Sieves  (Abbe),  his  pamphlet,  78 ;  his  motion  in 
the  States-General,  89  ;  its  success,  90  ;  sec- 
ond pamphlet  of,  90. 

Societies,  the  jealousy  with  which  they  were  re- 
garded, 46. 


INDEX. 


587 


Society,  state  of,  during  the  reign  of  Louis  XIV., 
28;  state  of,  at  the  death  of  Louis  XIV.,  33. 

Soldiers,  brutal  conduct  of,  30;  become  discon- 
tented, 103;  coalesce  with  the  peoitle,  103; 
arrested  for  their  oath,  10-t ;  scatter  the  first 
mob,  109;  a  loyal  regiment  from  Flanders 
ordered  to  Paris,  157. 

Sombrueii,  governor  of  Hotel  des  Invalidcs, 
character  of,  1 1 D. 

Spain,  treaty  of  France  with,  396. 

Speech  of  Marat  to  the  Jacobin  Club,  215. 

St.  Etienne,  curate  of,  heads  the  people,  119. 

St.  Huruge,  account  of  him,  150. 

States-General  convened  for  May,  7G ;  debates 
wliich  arose  upon  the  summoning  of,  78;  roj)- 
reseutation  in,  how  to  be  determined,  79  ; 
equal  re])resentation  in,  decreed  by  tlie  king, 
79 ;  the  people  enjoined  to  send  in  account 
of  their  grievances  to  the,  79 ;  number  of 
members  of,  81 ;  convened,  83 ;  delegates  to, 
received  by  the  king,  83 ;  opening  of  the,  85, 
86  ;  boldness  of  the  thii-d  estate,  87;  Necker's 
i-eception  at  the,  87 ;  attempt  of,  to  ensnare 
the  third  estate,  87;  the  conflict  in  the,  88. 
See  also  Assembly  and  Convention. 

Supreme  Being,  decrees  in  favor  of  the,  375 ; 
festival  in  honor  of  the,  376. 

Suspected  persons,  schedule  of  those  liable  to 
arrest,  344. 

Suspensive  veto,  the,  approved,  151. 

Swiss,  the,  refuse  to  fire  upon  their  comrades, 
110. 

Talleyrand,  his  remark  concerning  the  diamond 
necklace,  72. 

Tallien,  speech  of,  against  Robespierre,  381 . 

Talma,  incident  connected  with  the  marriage 
of,  178. 

Taxation  so  universal  that  the  inventor  of  a 
new  one  was  regarded  as  a  man  of  genius, 
49;  the  burden  of,  fell  upon  unprivileged 
classes  solely,  49 ;  artifices  used  by  the  peas- 
ants to  elude,  50 ;  proportion  of  land  owned 
by  the  payers  of,  50 ;  expedients  of  the  col- 
lector of,  to  obtain  the,  50 ;  burden  of,  com- 
puted, 51  ;  equality  of,  when  nobles  would 
permit  it,  98. 

Temple,  description  of  the,  293. 

Tennis  -  court,  celebration  of  the  meeting  at, 
255. 

Texel,  capture  of  the  fleet  at,  395. 

Theatre,  Jacobin  riot  in  the,  239. 

Thermidorians,  origin  of  the,  379 ;  supremacy 
of  the,  389. 

Thiers,  remarks  of,  on  the  National  Conven- 
tion, 410. 

Third  estate  triumphant,  101. 

Thouret  (Monsieur),  presents  Constitution  to  the 
king,  231. 


Thuriot  (Monsieur),  summons  Bastille  to  sur- 
render, 120. 

Title-deeds  destroyed  by  the  peasantry,  143. 

Titles  of  noble  blood  sold,  50. 

Tollendal,  Lally,  speech  of,  126. 

Toulon  surrendered  to  the  Allies,  341. 

Tree  of  feudalism,  burning  of  the,  275. 

Trials  ordered  to  be  public,  172. 

Tribune,  a  military,  advised  by  Marat,  215. 

Tricolor  worn  by  the  king,  132. 

Tuileries  besieged,  286. 

Turgot  (Monsieur),  his  appointment  and  career 
as  minister  of  finance,  59,  60;  his  measures, 
how  accepted,  60. 

Unbelief  among  the  courtiers,  reasons  for,  49. 
United   States,  Revolution  of,   compared  \vith 
that  of  France,  46. 

Valmy,  battle  of,  306. 

Valois,  history  of  the  house  of,  26. 

Varcnnes  (the),  king  and  royal  family  arrived 
at,  201 ;  municipality  of,  request  the  king  to 
wait,  205. 

Vaublanc  (M.  de),  speech  of,  to  the  king, 
244. 

Vergniaud  (Monsieur),  charges  of,  against  the 
king,  269  ;  prophetic  solicitude  of,  309  ;  sen- 
tences the  king  to  death,  323 ;  spirit  of  the 
Girondists  avowed  by,  332 ;  remark  of,  in  the 
prison  to  the  son  of  M.  Alluaud,  354. 

Versailles,  chateau  of,  commenced  by  Riche- 
lieu, 27 ;  palace  of,  35. 

Veto,  struggle  on  the  part  of  the  nobility  to 
make  it  absolute,  149. 

Vice  protected  by  the  Church,  48. 

Victims,  list  of  the,  of  the  Revolution,  379. 

Vienne,  Archbishop  of,  president  of  National 
Assembly,  106. 

Vincennes,  brilliant  festivities  and  spectacles  at, 
25. 

Voltaire  applies  his  force  to  assailing  the  cor- 
ruption of  the  Church,  47;  unfairness  of  his 
criticisms  on  Christianity,  47 ;  befriended  by 
Frederick  II.  of  Prussia,  49  ;  revisits  Paris, 
62 ;  his  reception,  62  ;  his  death,  62 ;  removed 
to  the  Pantheon  in  Paris,  222. 

Voting  for  the  deputies  in  Pai'is,  79. 

Wars,  why  waged  by  princes,  51. 

Women  of  Paris,  their  march  to  Versailles,  159  ; 
deputation  of,  to  the  king,  160. 

Writers,  revolutionary,  views  of,  on  religion, 
47;  their  influence  in  brutalizing  the  people, 
47 ;  the  leading,  were  infidels,  47. 

Xavier  (Louis  Stanislas),  letter  of  the  king  to, 
242. 


THE  END. 


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